


Stay for the Sirens

by MysticHunter



Series: Years of War [1]
Category: Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: A Little Bit of Death, AU - alternate universe, Angst, F/M, OH IM SORRY I CANT HEAR YOU OVER A STORY THAT HAS STORY AND ISNT ANOTHER PORN FIC, Plot Twist, Siren Rhys, Typos typos everywhere, When u try to plot and it actually works, canon... What's that again?, i live by my own rules with updating chapters, lots of swearing, no update schedule, oc's are a bad thing?, ocxcanon, slow burn???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2018-09-06 10:03:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 84,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8745931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticHunter/pseuds/MysticHunter
Summary: So, im sure we've all heard the story of the con artist and salary man. Im sure we all screamed when the ending was left open and unanswered. Im sure youre hungry for another story.Well, this story continues with the con artist and the salary man. I dont know if you noticed, but a few...details were left out of their retelling. A certain.. place, a certain someone. If you wish to divulge in this new information, the author would gladly tell.Lets begin in the Epsilon Inn, the night it began.





	1. Introductions are always awkward

**Author's Note:**

> THE SYSTEM IS SO MESSED UP! ASDFGHJKL
> 
> Sorry, rage over. So the Prologue isn't officially part of the story since the Atchive wanted it to be Chapter 1... but this is Chapter 1... so... Yeah.
> 
> EDIT (06.05.17/post chapter 15, pre 16): FATHER FORGIVE ME FOR THE FIRST FOUR CHAPTERS. But seriously, the first four chapters arent very good at all. Chapter 10 is where the story really starts to story, but you kinda need to read everything before that. Chapter 5-9 are pretty good. But before that its horrible. So please... bear with me and read. Its worthwhile.

Cinder sat at her desk, her tired eyes falling upon the workbook in front of her. The day was nearly over. Thank god for that. The whole day just hadn't felt right. If waking up two hours early wasn't enough, to top off the wonder, best friend and partner in crime had made an AMAZING performance about herself on the enthralling subject of Cinder's addiction to coffee. If only this crazy day would just end so she could close the Inn, crawl into bed and sleep it off. But she had another 30 minutes of waiting. This was what hell felt like. This was true hell. Cinder glanced at the hologram computer to her right, her jasmine eyes scanning the info that Johnny had re-sent to her; the useless prick was still somehow getting paid? She made note to herself to halt his pay until he actually decided to do anything that benefited this Inn.

"Jenna left the Standard Single, but still owes..." She jot down a notice to get back to Jenna on that and went back to reading. "But then, then the Marauder took that one... May be closed for the night at least, but I'm not trusting my luck with that guy." Cinder murmured to herself. She thought aloud when tired, so the day had been difficult for some of her customers. The Inn had little service, the few people who dwelled there generally staying for long periods of time. In fact, that Rosalyn girl had been there for a month in that Standard Double. Cinder sat back in her chair and threw her feet onto the maple desk. It was neat, the keys of the computer for once still in the keyboard. Her pen cup sat with two lonely pencils in it. Her coffee mug was stained, stagnant coffee making a home for itself at the base. A bad habit of hers. The polished and unused service bell sat idly next to it. Cinder glanced at the computer and realised that she had updated everything fine. She whacked the workbook closed with her boot and lay back, arms behind her head, eyes closed in a daydream filled wait for her "close up shop" alarm. Even doing this felt strange; being on such edge for probably nothing wasn't Cinders specialty. 

After a few moments of silence, the bell above the door jingled. She opened one eye and glanced at the people standing in the doorway. She closed the eye again, but couldn't help but feel her heart beat hard in her chest. She couldn't fathom why her heart did this. They were two ordinary people. Well, not ordinary - what with Pandora being the way it was - but still people, nonetheless. One was male and the other was female. The male was tall, had an ECHO eye implant and a cybernetic arm. The tag, or pocket (she couldn't have cared less) on his vest confirmed her assumption that he was Hyperion. Cinder recognised the girl. Fiona, large bounty for being a con artist. Her trademark hat gave it away all too well. Cinders gut stirred as she remembered those days. It was such a sickening feeling. 

The thought of serving someone who broke the law was certainly not what unnerved Cinder. She had done it before - the Marauder being a perfect example of that. It was always whether or not these ruthless criminals had the dough sitting above their heads on those posters. Besides (she tried to find a bright side), Fiona had done nothing to her or Danika, so she wasn't at all worried about that. The Hyperion stooge didn't give her any bad vibes - he looked like a dumbass who dropped himself on Pandora and then realised he had no idea what he was doing. An all possible truth, she thought with amusement. All this circled in her mind as the pair walked up to the counter. She kept her eyes closed and listened to their footsteps. The footsteps made an abrupt stop after growing ever so louder and the service bell rang. Shit, was her first thought. She had to serve them now. She never rejected anyone. But these two didn't feel right. They had walked in and... nothing today had felt right. Guess this was a good way to end it off. 

Cinder swung her feet from the desk, swept some fringe hair from her eyes and opened them, giving a polite smile to the two, trying not to look up at them awkwardly. "How may my Inn be of service?" she opened in her usual formal sense. Despite her formal openings, she always got the urge to simultaneously reflect the characters before her. She wouldn't have known what to do before these two, but improvising was always fun... too bad she had already said something.

"What rooms you got on offer?" Fiona asked simply. 

"Let me see" Cinder replied. She opened her workbook again to the room calendar. This marked the open rooms as of each day. "Right. We got two Standard singles and a Standard Double for offer. I would offer the Upper Singles, but they're undergoing some... renovations as of late." Cinder felt she was outright with her answer, but was still slightly distracted by the last fact. She looked up at them from her seat. The pair looked at each other. 

"Prices for the rooms?" Fiona questioned. 

"The Standard singles are $40 per night. The Standard Double is $70 per night." Cinder stated. Once again, the two glanced at each other. Fiona looked unsure, but the Hyperion guy looked way too anxious. "I would recommend getting the double room if I were you two. It's cheaper. Two singles in one night is 80 bucks, but the double for a night is only 70. That's a whole 10 dollars that could go to... somethin' that interests you. But, since I'm not you too, it's all your decision." Cinder said this, hoping their expressions were price related. Cinder always liked the sales. It amused her in ways most things couldn't - also in ways she couldn't really explain.

"Can me and my partner discuss this for a moment?" It was the Hyperion boy speaking now. Cinder nodded. Hell, she didn't care. Fiona glared at him as they turned and began talking in hushed voices. Cinder aimlessly fiddled with the pen laying on the page, 'occupying' herself in an obnoxiously long wait. Eventually, they turned back to her. "We'll take the double room" the Hyperion boy said. Cinder grinned at nobody in particular, noticing Fiona's openly disgusted face.

"An excellent choice." She stated as she opened to the customer log. She began to write in her frantic handwriting. Date: 27/09/ . She couldn't remember the year. She would fill that in later. Room: Standard Double No. 3.  
Customer/s name/s... "Names please." 

"Rhys" the Hyperion boy said.

"Rhys" Cinder repeated. She looked at him for a second before responding further. "It suits you". She wrote the name down, proceeding to look over at the hatted woman "And you are?"

"Fiona" she stated blandly. Cinder couldn't help herself from prodding further.

"You're the con artist right?" Cinder asked. Fiona looked uncomfortable. 

"No, you'd be wrong in that conclusion" Fiona replied. Cinder could see the way her eyes reverted. Bare. Faced. Lie. 

"I couldn't care less if you were a flat out murderer. I'd still serve you since I consider myself a nice person. You haven't done anything to Danika. So you are a customer to me." Her words were carefully chosen and her voice was soft and dangerous. She reached for her gun as she propped herself onto the desk. She placed the gun to Fiona's chest and lent close. "You tell me who you are right now or a bullet goes through your chest. You got that?" Cinder had snapped. Fiona had lied. Panic rittled the Pandoran woman's face. 

"Fine. I'm Fiona. I'm a con artist." Her words were strained. Cinder lowered her gun and placed it back by the bin under the desk.

"That's all I wanted to hear" Cinder shuffled back off the desk and sat back on her chair. She wrote down Fiona's name. She marked the room number. She listened to the two quarrel, but smiled at what it was all about

"She seems nice." Rhys said.  
"What is wrong with you?" Fiona asked in reply. Rhys shrugged. Cinder rolled the seat back and opened the key drawer. It held her backup keys and the customer keys. She grabbed the key for room 8 and placed it on the counter.

"That's your room key. Keep it safe. By the way, my name is Cinder. Cinder Forest. Pleasure doing business with you both. Hope you enjoy your stay." Cinder got up and gestured for them to walk through to the main area. They did so, Rhys grabbing the key along the way. "Down that hallway is the Dining Area. Take the turn and you got the rooms hall. Yours isn't far. Again, I hope you enjoy your stay." As the two walked through, she received a friendly smile and a disgusted sneer. Easy money on guessing who smiled. They walked down the hallway and disappeared in the shadows. Cinder found satisfaction in that - seeing them walk into the abyss. Cinder sat back down in her chair. She began to update the files at the room calendar, marking Standard Double No. 4 as taken for the night. As she wrote, the song Foreign Object by the Mountain Goats began to play from her computer. Her alarm. She shut it off and continued to write. She wasn't just going to leave the files unfinished - not like Johnny always did. After a minute, the file was completed and up to date. Cinder stood up and pushed her chair under the desk. Not a good day. She jumped over the desk to the door, opening it and switching the open sign to closed. She pulled the door closed and fumbled with the classic lock. Classic Atlas crap. The door locked hard. She stood away from it and jumped over her desk for the second time. She grabbed a small remote out of her pocket and activated the alarm system. She slammed her workbook closed and pressed the power button on her computer. Suddenly she realised everything was finished; she took a moment to breathe. What had just happened? She stepped away from the desk and walked. To where, she wasn't sure. She'd end up somewhere.

*

"And then, that 11th grader Genise insulted my piercings! Can ya believe it?" Danika griped at Cinder as she slammed the industrial oven closed. Cinder shivered at the loud sound. 

"Watch what your throwing around! And, yes, I can believe Genise said that. She says that shit to everyone." Danika returned Cinder a sheepish smile.

"Sorry." Was all she said. Danika slid a plate through the small window space. A few straddlers remained in the dining area, Rhys and Fiona being two of them. The two rooms where buzzing with noise, the kitchen still humming from the oven and the dining area was full of voices speaking - not understandable by any means. Danika seemed unawares of anything. Danika, Cinder's best friend, was a total idiot. She could barely figure out 9+10, the poor thing (the answer was always 21). Despite this, Danika was self acclaimed to the "Pandoran Princess of Fire". Steampunk Bad/dumbass seemed more fitting, but everyone just went along with the strange antics of the girl. After all, she was attractive to the boys and had "advice" for the girls at school. Cinder sometimes realised that if she and Danika hadn't have been friends since the Cove, they wouldn't have ever crossed path in friendship. 

Cinder stared at her shoes, before speaking again. "So, we got some new customers today." 

"How this any different to any other day?" Danika questioned, sounding genuinely confused like always. She had her hands on her small hips, awkwardly balancing a spatula in one of them.

"Those two" Cinder walked from her place by the wall and gestured through the service window to where Rhys and Fiona sat, soberly gossiping about... God knows what. Vaults probably. Danika rushed over to see them. "Do they look... peculiar to you?" Danika stared for a few long moments. 

"She got a cool hat. The guys got a robotic arm. What does peculiar mean?" Danika asked, looking back at Cinder and getting down from her place on the bench. 

"They don't give you any vibes?" Cinder asked, feeling like a hippie in a trench-coat. She walked back to the wall and resumed her place there. Danika looked back at them. She made several facial expressions as she looked at them closer, before tuning back to Cinder.

"Nahp. Nothin'." 

"Nothing at all?"

"No. They look pretty normal."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, Cinder! I'm sure! They're normal as people get on Pandora, OK?" 

"Well, you're not lying..." An awkward and abrupt silence ebbed throughout the room. Shadows flickered around their feet as the failing lightbulb tempted itself to turn off. Cinder crossed her arms and stared at the tiled floor. "Well, I don't like them. They have a feeling about them." Cinder said, as she stood up properly, opening the door. Danika walked through with a smug smile and Cinder followed, her black hair trailing behind her. They left the dining area behind them. Both of them didn't like the day they had just been through. The quicker they got to bed and slept, the better. In moments, they had cleared the rows of tables and we're making for the hallway adjacent to the automatic doors. With a heads held heavy from concerns and disbeliefs, they trudged to their rooms without another word.

*

Cinder lay back on her violet bed cover, eyes closed, already threatening to fall asleep. She took in a deep breath and heaved a sigh. The familiar smell of her room filled her nostrils; the tangy musk she would always recognise as comfortable. A smirk echoed it's way into her face as she thought of every comfort this room had to offer; the pinewood floorboards, the light carpet underneath the bed, the bedside with only a lamp, the chest of draws accompanying the closet beside the ladder to the roof latch and the open Ensuite doorway. It was so comforting in a way she didn't understand. But that's how it was. 

In her thoughts, Cinder had nearly fallen to the dreamscape. She forced herself to stand up and dragged herself to the chest of drawers. She proceeded to remove her trench-coat, top and jeans. She folded them and placed them on the counter top. For a moment, she ran her hands over the dark blue tattoos that marked her up the left side. It was a constant reminder of who she truly was, the way they glowed in certain situations, the way they scared her classmates when she grew frustrated, the way they controlled her without doing anything other than exist. Furrowing her brow, she shoved the thought out of her mind completely - she didn't need to think of that, at that moment. Opening a drawer, she drew out a loose fitting T-shirt and a pair of shorts, fit for sleeping, she was sure of that. With great fatigue, she removed her large purple headband, placed it on the counter with her clothes, removed her spare fringe from their restraints and threw it all in a messy bun. Clothes on, she stumbled over to the bed, pulled back the covers and fell down onto the lime sheets. She turned off the lamp and closed her eyes, falling all too quickly into a dream filled sleep. But it didn't end there.

Cinder dreamed of a beautiful face similar to her own. She dreamed of a hat wearing con artist working alongside a cybernetic corporate stooge. She dreamed of shadows closing in. She dreamed of an immense power and a faint blue glow. She dreamed of gunfire. She dreamed of spilling blood and an unfamiliar scream of a somewhat familiar voice. She didn't recognise who the voice belonged to, but she could hear their pain. She dreamed of another voice; her own. Singing powerfully, lyrics she tried to hear. But it was too faint to understand. After the voice was gone, a void of black and soundlessness replaced it. No more happened that she could remember.


	2. Amends made?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the previous day, Cinder feels like shit. Nothing more to it than that. Some awkward conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! Look who's back. Back again. Mystics back. Tell a friend.
> 
> Haha I'm not drunk if you think I am. What? How much drugs did I do earlier? Five foot twenty nine. Why you ask?
> 
> Lol, ok, I'm gonna stop. Here's chapter 2 for you. Like I said, the first two chapters are bad and boring, but they set up a lot that happens later on. Trust me with that.
> 
> Yeah, but basically, this is just introcuding the two awkward nerds who will probably end up liking each other and showing how were they when they started out.

She made a poor job of hiding the damage dreams would thrust upon her each night. Every morning was the same, turn off the damn alarm, get undressed, dressed again, make an attempt to look somewhat presentable, throw on the trench-coat and hope to god no one gets hurt. Then she would proceed to the kitchen for food and coffee and then she would do her job. It was an endless cycle; nothing interrupted it... then the dreams began. The weird dreams and their unguessable messages, the sounds and images her own mind would create. Dreams should never have been the word used to describe it - nightmare was way more fitting. And every morning she would awaken, everything a massive vivid memory that terrified her to no end - and that was if she had only woken then and not multiple times throughout the night and early morning. But they always seemed to fade as the day went on. However, last night had been particularly restless. And unbeknownst to Cinder, it was going to mess this cycle up for good.

At the waking moment, Cinder was greeted with an explosion of nausea as she reflected on everything she had dreamed of. None of it made sense - not one bit. It was confusing, things mixing up and creating these experiences. Last night had been all over the place; they seemed more like thoughts than dreams... just some things her brain threw together at last second, not once thinking she would go to bed early the way she did. Yeah, 11:45 was early alright. Besides the nausea, her whole body ached with a muscular pain. Her tattoos burned uneasily. She tenderly touched the ones that lined her waist and winced in pain. They were so sensitive all of a sudden. She moaned to herself with an expression of pure frustration, then proceeded to pull back the sheets. She had to get up eventually and that alarm wasn't about to turn itself off.

As she looked in the mirror, Cinder couldn't believe it was her reflection staring back at her. Pale skin, hair falling out of the band in tangled matts, eyes circled with grey and her body shaking. She felt even more sick just seeing the state of herself. Reaching up, she undid the band that restrained her hair. Unsteadily, she picked up her comb from the bathroom counter and ran it through the mess of curls, making some attempt to look somewhat presentable - just like any other day. But as she did so, her hands shook and her breathing grew ragged. She put the plastic down and gulped in deeply. Calming herself wasn't seeming to do anything. She came to a quick decision to just neaten out the obvious parts and try and get her colour to restore, however she would do that. Coffee, probably. With hesitation, she grasped the comb and tore it through her fringe. She gagged at the sound of her hair ripping up. With a few more strokes in this manor, it was looking... Ok enough to be seen by human eyes at least. Finding the leftover hair that was never willing to be part of her fringe, she tied them up with the various rubber bands that were strewn over the countertop. With one last glance to the mirror, she turned and walked out. 

*

She was half dressed as she walked out of the break room towards the dining area, her top lopsided, no socks on and her trench-coat hanging off her shoulders. She felt no less nauseas, but she was willing to take one for the team... again. She never gave herself the liberty of a day off, even if she was puking her guts up; she ran this place. It wasn't like she could back out for feeling a bit average for once. She shook her head as a headache began brewing and pulled the brown fabric of her coat closer around her. By now, she was at the end of the hallway, facing the doors of the offset dining area. She pushed the doors open (the stupid auto system had crapped out, yet again), walked through and nearly tripped on the chairs and tables. She stood, took a breathe, then continued carefully through the organised labyrinth of furniture. She still thought there was more tables than they needed, but... whatever, was all she ever got in reply. 

Pushing the kitchen door open, she was hit with the pungent smell of egg. Gagging in utter disgust, she trudged to the fridge and opened it, doubling over as the smell hit her at full force. Dear. GOD. Those things were way past their due date. She faced away and dry heaved at the centre table; how the fuck had those things gotten like that? Rakk eggs were bad enough, but rotten? Plugging her nose and looking away, she reached for her intended food. After groping around and not gaining anything for a while, she slammed the door closed - the stench was getting really starting to get to her. She took a moment to restrain herself from throwing up before continuing. she left the kitchen and made for a seat.

As she sat back, she thought of everything that plagued her, but snapped back to reality at one of the things. "Shit" she said out loud. That English project was due tomorrow. Her head pounded worse at the very thought of it. Augh. It also wasn't like she could rely on Danika for help - she had a bad enough job as it was. She didn't need to help Cinder run the front desk. Cinder rested her head upon the tabletop. God that felt good. The timber felt almost cold. She closed her eyes and slipped her arms through the sleeves of her trench-coat. With that, she was asleep again. 

*

When she opened her eyes again, she could hear the familiar humming of her friend in the kitchen. She pushed up from the table and glanced around the room. She had no idea how long she'd been sleeping, but there still wasn't anyone around. She sighed heavily and held her head up with her hands, consumed by thoughts that the void occasionally sent her. The one that ruled here seemed to take a pleasure in asking her these things, it also took amusement when it remembered Cinder had created him as a pigment in her mind. It was easy for anyone to call her insane if they had known of such things. But when you call yourself insane...

She was interrupted as the doors flew open and somebody drunkenly fell flat on their face. Somebody was standing in the doorway above the person who had fallen over, but they quickly retreated from sight. Cinder craned her neck and peered over a few tables to see who it was. Upon seeing them, she snorted and choked back laughter. It was Rhys - and she felt fairly certain he was actually drunk. He'd been pushed over by his comrade and hadn't been bothered to get up, but beside that, he looked like an utter mess - almost as bad as her.

After a minute or so, he finally stood, brushing his hands over his clothes and coolly running his fingers through his hair. That's about when he noticed her, sitting there with a lopsided smile. He pointed at her for a moment.

"You saw nothing." He whispered. Cinder couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Sure. I didn't see a thing." She replied.

"Good. Great." He said awkwardly to no one and nothing in particular. Cinder raised a judgemental eyebrow at him, but didn't bother with him any more. He wasn't worth a huge amount of her attention anyway. She stilled herself and glared at the once again flickering lightbulb above her. She groaned aloud, unaware of him even going about his business as he was. She had already tuned herself out from the world so much that he could have walked into the kitchen, murdered Danika with a butter knife, disposed of the body and attacked her without her even noticing. She rarely tuned out of anything, so this was pretty damn bad for it to be like this. 

For minutes on end, she stared at the light, groaning while she thought of electricity fees and why they were necessary and how moths had managed to get inside to swarm around it. For minutes, she was so out of it, she missed Danika set down a coffee for her and Rhys sit down beside her with a tray. When she finally came back to the real world, all she was met with was surprise - and a light imprint that wouldn't go away. Without much subtlety, she shifted away from him. Despite her still clinging nausea, she picked up the mug and drank plentifully from it, the hot liquid somehow managing to soothe her throat instead of scold it. She suddenly felt an... odd sensation prickling in her peripheral and turned to her left. Oh. He'd been staring at her. Rather intently too.

"You want something, stooge?" She asked. His eyes snapped and he shook his head, clearly embarrassed. With a flushed face, he stumbled over a meagre apology.

"I, uh... No, I... Uh..." He stopped. "Sorry." 

"Heh. It's fine. Don't worry your pretty little head on it." She grabbed the handle of the mug and playfully spun it. It was black - like the coffee it contained - and bore a fine advertisement on its front. In golden letters, the words "we're all fucked" were written. In her head, she laughed at that. It was an accurate statement of the destiny for all on Pandora. Every Psycho, Bandit, corporate employee, Vault hunter, Bounty hunter, Siren, Outlaw and/or any other occupation on Pandora was bound to die in the worst way possible - Cinder wasn't any exception to that. Whether it be a suicide or being killed by a Vault hunter or Bandit or an explosion at the hands of Tiny Tina, your last words were almost always gonna be along the lines of "Well this was a bad idea!" ,"Well fuck." or "IT WAS ALL FOR MY MEAT BICYCLE!!"

The silence between them was awkward, only broken by Danika's sudden choice to start singing loudly and terribly. Cinder tapped the wood to the given beat Danika had chosen for her ad-lib, nodding her head slightly to the muddled strand of lyrics, without rhyme or reason. And for a few minutes, everything was actually ok; Cinder's headache beginning to retreat (somehow), Danika's carefree way with words and Rhys eating some good quality food (for once). And despite the singing, it was calm. Finally, after demolishing the entire mug of coffee, Cinder spoke again.

"So, what buisness brings you and your friends here? I mean, I'm assuming you have more friends on this trip, but you didn't bring them in-" She asked turning to face him.

"Huh? Oh, we're uh... trying to open a Vault. Exactly what Vault and how we'll go about opening it, I can't be sure." He replied unsteadily, unknowingly cutting her off. Cinder gave a nod. Seemed like everyone around here was after a Vault.

"That sounds... cool." She didn't know what else to say. She awkwardly glanced away and forced herself to smile. She knew it must've looked fake. But he returned it with his own, clearly not bothered or caring to notice the obvious.

"And dangerous! I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've nearly died already!" He started to go on, telling her about how it all started and what had happened. If anyone else had told her about his misfortunes, he would have been more than pissed, but since he got to say it... Neither of them knew how, but he managed to glorify dropping a fake Vault key and having $10 million explode and then make everything else that ensued seem flawless. But as he reached one part of the story, he stopped and turned, suddenly distracted. Then he started talking to himself. "How did you know this before me?... You think I don't understand this?... I'm aware of that, but how else do you expect me to..... Hey!... Well, how else could she find out?" She leaned over the table to see who he could be talking to. He seemed to be glaring intently at and arguing with thin air. Wow. And Cinder called herself insane.

"Uhh... You ok, Rhys?" She asked nervously. He gave one last glare to the air in front of him, gave it a warning to shut up and turned back to her.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Who was that?" He started to sweat at her question and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

"It was..." he paused and pondered for a second, but chose to go on, "Handsome Jack." Cinder gave a playful chuckle and shook her head.

"Well, alright then! Whatever keeps you going, I guess." Rhys looked slightly offended and like he was about to say something, but bit his tongue against whatever urge he had gotten. "So, you were looking at this map thing and..." She tried to urge on the story, but he shook his head.

"We're dropping it here, Cinder." He said stoically.

"Hey! You remembered my name!" She said with a grin. He gave a halfhearted chuckle.

"Well, Cinders are the leftovers from a fire and your a fiery person, so..." He trailed off, losing concept of his own explanation. Cinder thought about that for a moment. But something was off. It was a lie.

"Well that's one way of looking at it. I just thought my name was easy to remember." She leaned back on her chair and ignored the increasing sickness that rose in her stomach as she did so. She realised something... Cinders aren't every fiery. They can be warm if touched just after the fire is over, but what, in reality, is a cinder? It's ashes. It's something you sweep away in seconds. You don't want it, you don't need it, so you get rid of it. It's nothing more than a pile of ashes and dirt. It's simply filth. And that's what Cinder was. Nothing important. Something to be brushed away. And her filthy trench oat proved her pint further.

"Anyway, I told you enough about me," he leaned forward and gave her a friendly look that practically melted her - GOD his smile was so dorky and cute - and making her snap from her thoughts. "What about you?"

"What's there to know? I'm a teen who's running an Inn and still going to school." She clamped her mouth shut after that. She barely knew this guy - who knew what he would've done knowing she was a siren or suffering from depression and major stress.

"Come on, there's gotta be more to you than that." He prodded forward. 

"Nu-uh. We're dropping it here, Rhys." She said mimicking his previous line. He squinted at her accusingly. In a hushed voice and surprisingly dramatic tone, he followed with,

"That's my line." Cinder could not physically stop herself from laughing hysterically. There was one thing she needed and that was a good laugh, but her timing (as always) wasn't the best. A joke that was barely even funny... damn, she had the humour of a two year old. In her hysterics, Rhys had left, ultimately creeped out by this girl. She definitely looked the part of a serial murderer, but he hadn't expected her to be like that. But only in years to come would he reveal the true reason he left like he did. There was just no way he could admit that until much later.

When Cinder finally got back to reality, the first she noticed was that he was gone. She gave a loud groan and smacked her head against the table, not caring about how much it hurt. Her nausea whacked her squarely in the temple and she regret everything - laughing, talking, drinking coffee, living. She lifted her head again, only to see a small note and a twenty dollar bill. At first she was confused, picking up the note and money as if she was a cat who had just discovered a stick of Eridium. Finally, her eyes were willing to notice the words properly on the paper, and she read.

'Sorry, but we can't pay it all. Here's a twenty for you. Check us out please, I left the key on your desk. And even though Fiona forced me to sleep on the floor, I enjoyed it here. I promise, and hold me to this, I'll come back after we open the Vault and I'll pay back what we owe. Hope to see you soon!  
Rhys :)'

Cinder smiled and stood up, clutching the bill with shaking hands. Oh, he was gonna be paying a bit more than fifty dollars when he got back, that was for sure. He still applied to her unwritten rules. Until properly signing out, it was under their names and they'd be in some serious debt. She was hit repeatedly with vertigo and she felt miserable all over again. On uneasy and unwilling legs, she wandered out of the room and made her way to the desk. She already wanted it to be over. But another day's work is another few dollars for her to pay the school and keep this place up and running. That was all that kept her going.


	3. Instincts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your instincts are never wrong... until you take what they want wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know. I know it's only been like a day since I uploaded chapter 2, but progress is moving surprisingly smoothly with the holidays.
> 
> Anyway, I'd like to say, I really like chapter 3, it's a good long chapter. Just read it ok.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: SOME CHARACTERS MAY BE OOC. I APOLOGISE

With malice, Cinder pulled on her school uniform. It was back to that shithouse. Again. She wanted so badly to put the trench-coat back on and call the damn place and say she couldn't go, because she had, you know, a job. A full time job that leaving post can lead to major issues in not only finances, but also the safety of all who stayed. She groaned as she groped under her bed for her bag, not willing to actually find it like a normal person. Kinda hard to when you aren't really normal. Finally getting hold of the sack of books and papers, she yanked it and flung it onto the untamed bedspread. An uncontrollable sneer stretched her face as she unzipped it and exchanged a few of the books for different ones. No Chemistry that day. No English that day. No math that day. Industrial technology; had it that day. Hospitality; had it that day. Modern history; had it that day. Wait, no, she did have English. She groaned louder as put the red covered book back in. She furiously zipped it up again and yanked at her hair, pulling into one place to tie it up. With frustration, she tied it up and adjusted her head band that had gone askew in her furious obedience in abiding by the dress code.

She flung her bag over her shoulder and flounced out the room. "Come on, Danika! We gotta go!" She yelled. Danika, being Danika, wasn't ready and was most likely going to get them both in major trouble. Suddenly, she was hit with the memory that her English essay was due. Fuck. She stood silent, one hand on the strap that hung over her shoulder, trying to deduct a plan for which would save her arse and get the job done before final period. Just as she was close to a conclusion, Danika stumbled from her room, her hair frizzed and her face red. She held up a finger in Cinder's direction while she adjusted one of the studs that was poking out. Cinder raised a single brow at her friend and smirked. Every bloody time they had school this happened. Danika continued to jump around and fumble with her bag as Cinder strode out of the break room and into the main hallway. She grinned as she heard her friends quickened footsteps and unnecessary run-into-a-wall-moment. 

Within a minute, the two girls were outside. Cinder played everything in her head for a moment; Johnny was working the main desk (normally not good, but, what can you do?), Danika had already done her shifts and Cinder herself had personally seen to locking the bar fridge. That was everything. She shouldered her bag over her back and picked up the helmet that hung from her bike. Sweet model hers was. Some Hyperion model, she thought. Eh, she hadn't payed attention when she bought it. Could've been Jakobs or Atlas or whatever other company for all she cared. She was far more concerned about the fact that it looked awesome and did the job of taking her places. Without another word, she put on the helmet, pulled down the ginger visor and boarded the bike, kicking the stand as she sat on it. Preparation aside, she was off, speeding out into the desert towards the torture chamber called school - Danika trailing a good hundred metres behind.

*

After successfully docking her bike and locking the helmet into a place it wouldn't get stolen easily, Cinder sprinted across the barren earth beneath her towards the school gates. Despite not actually being late, it killed her to be any later than ten minutes short of the first bell. She scaled the gate and jumped down from it, hearing Danika's frantic footsteps behind her. Upon landing, she gulped deeply for air; she'd only run about 50 metres, but what can you do when you have the worst cardiovascular system on Pandora? But her rest didn't last long as she was off and running again to claim her usual spot - the brick extension behind the tech block. Rude looks and snide remarks was what she received from the juniors, but by now she had grown used to it - granted it usually wasn't because of her sprinting across the running track when she didn't do HPE (or was it Gym?).

A minute or so later, she changed her kinetic position and managed to slide smoothly across the trampled dirt and halt herself before reaching the wall. Another group of girls gossiping at the opposite end of the wall glared at her - they didn't seem to understand her. Fair enough too; it wasn't their issue as to what Cinder did and didn't do. And in their eyes, sliding to the wall instead of just finishing the run (while at the same time thought that the whole running thing was completely unnecessary) was just atrocious. Cinder flashed them a sleazy grin and gestured at them with finger guns - she did this for every look that said she was weird and to all the students that talked behind her back like she didn't have ears to hear them with. A few of them looked offended while the others only hardened their stares. Cinder shrugged it off and dumped her bag to the ground, leaning against the wall and watching Danika continue to scramble towards her.

When Danika finally managed to reach Cinder, she was out of breathe, but nothing like Cinder had been. Danika was actually athletic and could handle a good half kilometre without dying; Cinder was a different story altogether. Even though this was truth, Danika was still wiping a hefty sweat off her brow and teasing her fringe so the fuzz became less apparent. She held up a finger for the second time and yanked the band out of her hair, dumping the heavy blue school bag beside her. Cinder sighed and stood just away from the wall. Another day, another question to her existence, another look from the outsiders and, of course, another dance with the Devils Angels. 

Her dizziness from the previous day had not retreated in any way, shape or form, but at least her urge to throw up had diminished. She struggled in a continuation to form a plan for that damn English essay, when the unexpected crackle of the loudspeaker burst from the unused speakers. The voice that addressed was the familiar drone of the probably demonic principal, giving some sort of announcement. Everyone ignored the voice, knowing it was important to listen, whilst not giving a crap. The teachers were too tired to hand out detentions, students didn't want to participate in the extracurriculars and all the boarding students already knew the drill for when Summer arrived. Miss Cleesac then began listing names of final graders in a dreary tone, instructing them to the assembly hall for... Graduation information. Cinders heart nearly stopped beating. No. Not again.

"All other twelfth graders must report to the main office." The loudspeaker fuzzed off. Cinder felt dead inside. She, once again, had failed a subject and, once again, wasn't graduating, which meant that, once again, she was stuck here for another year. This was the second time. Danika bent down and picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder with sober emotions - she hadn't made it either. Cinder stood for a minute or so, a few of her classmates moving around her. She felt as though her feet were glued to the spot - she couldn't bring herself to move. Danika took some responsibility, grabbing her friends bag and her arm and dragged her down. Cinder's face flushed and her eyes stung with tears that she forced not to flow freely. That would only happen in private, later... if she still felt upset. But, she would probably be punching skags in the desert and shouting profanities at the sky at that time, not crying. Anger was an easy replacement - or shield - for sadness in her eyes.

*

"ITS ACTUAL BULLSHIT, DANIKA!!" Cinder shouted as she exited the office alongside her friend. The large crowd of other rejected twelfth graders felt the same, so they didn't mention that the principal could still hear her or that or that none of them would agree in any other situation. Danika gave them a sheepish grin as they passed. They had been dismissed from school for the rest of the year, since there was nothing they could do to bring up the last mark. Normally, a student would be whooping and running out of the grounds, ready to have an early summer start, but this was NOT how Cinder wanted the year to end, God damn it.

"Calm it, Sinful. Least 'til we're outta here." Danika whispered, attempting to hush her bestie. But Cinder wasn't done. She had so much more to say. All the way to the gates, to the motorbikes, the whole drive back to the Inn - she shouted her blatant opinion. She deserved to graduate like most of the graduates didn't and she couldn't understand how she failed... How? Last year she took that class and didn't fail. This year, she did? It was a mess of words she began to spit at the air as the drive began to close and she finally chose it was best to just drop it there. By the time they reached the Inn, her word milage had run thin, though many livid words were still being screamed in her mind. Her skin burned from the already unrelenting sun, but she barely noticed. She entered the Inn without another word, ignoring everyone and everything else altogether. 

*

It had been days since Cinder had been told she was redoing the final year. How many days, she hadn't bothered to count. She tried not to let it under her skin too much, but she had still punched at least twelve Skags that afternoon - that did help... slightly. The Inn was much more quiet than the previous week or so - again, why, she couldn't be sure. For some reason, everyone has just chosen to pack their shit up and leave. When it had happened, Cinder had been rather confused and for the day or so that proceeded, she just wondered. Her mind was fried as she opened the door that night. She no longer felt sick to any degree, unless feeling exhausted and constantly wanting to sleep was a symptom of some fever she had. With a clammy hand, she flipped the sign over to closed and let out a sigh. She turned and leaned on the opposing door, staring up at Helios and Elpis with glazed eyes. She yawned as ships departed from the space station. But something about the mood of Helios was changing. As ships that had escaped Helios began to come into focus, she knew that escape was exactly what they had done. That wasn't right. In fact, it was weird. Really weird. She squinted up at Helios, straining her eyes to see any activity and for minutes she stared at it with fascinated horror.

Suddenly, a beacon of light appeared East of her. It was huge, climbing high above the sky. In seconds, a sandstorm formed around it. But she was torn between the lure of the beacon and the movement that had started abruptly on Helios. Escape pods, fleeing from the space station. Thousands of them, to be more specific. "Cinder! What you doing?" Danika yelled from the desk, but Cinder couldn't tear her eyes away. She began to mumble, 

"Danika if Im not back by tomorrow morning, don't open, OK?" Danika looked scared as Cinder turned to her, but she nodded hesitantly. Cinder gave her warmest of smiles and slammed the door closed. As if she was in a trance, she put on her helmet and boarded the bike, revving the engine with a smirk. Within seconds, she took off. She had no idea where she would find the beacon specifically or how to get there, but, God, as she gonna give it a try.

In minutes, she passed the damned sign that pointed the way for any wanting to know the way to the Inn and took a right turn. She was unaware of how exactly she would get to the beacon, but it was going to happen no less. Fear of it disappearing before she could get there drove her to accelerate the vehicle to its maximum. She almost flew the entire way there. Most situations would mean she would have gotten there in about a half an hour, but she cleared the distance like it was nothing. As the journey drove her forward, she noticed something truly terrifying; Helios was growing larger and larger by the second. It was going to crash into Pandora! A paranoid sweat broke out on her brow as she drove into the outskirts of the sandstorm.

As sand hit her visor, intending to murder her vision, she knew this was a fucking terrible idea. She rounded the corner of a sandstone outcrop and gasped, inhaling mass amounts of gritty dust that she could only try to painfully choke up later. A humongous creature - a Vault guardian - loomed above her, dead bodies littering the ground around her. Atop a cliff, she could see... Two girls, struggling to lift a rocket launcher. It was then that she noticed a large robot, wrestling the monster. It's artificial hologram eyes locked with whatever it could to avoid the monster it was fighting with a sad expression. God, it didn't even have eyebrows or a proper face, but it looked absolutely helpless. Cinder stopped the motorcycle as her weary eyes finally adjusted to see it; the Vault portal. Her eyes widened with horror and she gripped the handles tighter - like a child thinking that the murderer wouldn't get to them and the monster couldn't grab them if they were properly underneath their blanket... and like every child under that blanket, she froze, wide eyed, and waited to see if it worked. 

In her terror induced paralysis, how could she have noticed that the rocket launcher shot out at the robot? She sat, her expression a mix of terror and mysticism. She watched as the robot began to convulse and break apart, growing smaller with every piece that fell. It was cruel to watch and she felt as though her soul was ripping apart by the second. But, as soon as the robot fell for the final time, the creature seemed to be falling backwards, being dragged back towards the Vault Portal. Cinder's Raven hair whipped about her as the wind began to grow more and more intense. It frantically gripped everything it could with its enormous rocky hands, it's chest glowing with a vague blue aura, but it was no use. The wind that swirled about the portal was doing everything it could to drag the creature back where it belonged... And it was succeeding. In seconds, the creature was back in the Vault. But even after the portal was gone, the sandstorm raged on, now with a new reason.

Amongst all the action at the Vault, she hadn't noticed the rumble of the earth beneath her as Helios met its doomed destination. For all she knew, that thing crashed long before she even made it to the Vault sight. As she became aware of the fact Helios was no longer sailing through the sky, she gained a lustrous urge to go find it. She became dimly aware of the sensation she had felt only moments after the beacon appeared and she recognised it. This was the exact same. But what had come of this experience? She had just risked her life to find the source of the beacon and had found it, only to ride through a sandstorm, inhale dust and nearly get sucked into the whirlwind of a Vault being rejected and teleporting away to another unknown dimension. What would come of finding the crash sight? What could she possibly find there? She was confused. Why else would she be so drawn to it? If she went, she would be finding something, right? She blocked her mouth and yawned in exasperation, not understanding the way her own mind worked. 

With unintentional swag, Cinder kicked the bike back into gear and made a u-turn. Like before, she literally had no idea where the crash sight was and how she'd get to it, but she didn't question her instincts anymore than she already had. The bike seemed to just take her wherever she wanted to go. She wasn't driving for a huge amount of time, not that it mattered. If she had been driving for three hours, it wasn't a huge amount of time, like how only driving for a few minutes wasn't a huge amount of time. She had technically made it to her destination, but she made no indication of knowing. She didn't notice the burning metals, the crumbling furniture and the foul stench of rotting flesh. In fact, none of that mattered. Her back crawled with uneasiness that was all too familiar to her, as though it were a spider. It was almost unbearable. Cinder knew she was going to pass out soon. She stopped the bike, took a breath and removed her hot helmet. She shook her head and carefully placed the bike onto its stand. With that, she collapsed, cluttering to the ground.

*

When Cinder finally awoke, the day had returned and she was absolutely filthy. Struggling to stand, she surveyed the crash sight; the place she had so badly needed to be. It was a pigsty, as expected, but she felt the urge to look further into it. After all, her instincts had sent her here with a reason and she was determined to find out what it was, even if said instincts weren't flashing a red light in her face. Using the bike for support, she stood properly and brushed some dirt off her fading jeans. She reached for her holster, only to find that she had left without her only means of defence - who knew who could be lurking in there? She stared at her feminine hands, wishing them to punch the shit out of anyone who might try to attack her and that she could be strong enough to make a lasting mark, or to at least distract them long enough for her to make a getaway. "I must be outta my mind." She mumbled to herself as she clutched her arms and set off, wandering into the burning mess.

She hadn't gone far when she found something rather peculiar; one of the escape pods. She looked it over, searching for any signs of who had been in there, but whoever it was was long gone. Even so, Cinder felt uneasy and as though she was an easy target without her gun, but she walked onward. Whoever had been in it might still be knocking around the ruins of the space station. She continued onward, finding signs that someone has been through there; a few things knocked over, mildly printed footprints, some stuff purposefully lit on fire and things that couldn't have been smashed by the fall... well, smashed. But the clues only fit worse as she went along.

A familiar Hyperion cybernetic limb hung, skewered, on a rather poignant rod protruding from a large screen. She had seen that exact one only a few days ago. A strange little wired device sat on the ground, near a horrifyingly large pool of blood. Cinder gagged - she was normally immune to the sight of blood, since she had seen her own spilled often as a child, but this... she didn't know why, but it sickened her again. An iron hand hit her hard as she remembered the sickness that had ailed her the day after Rhys and Fiona had arrived and the vertigo she had suffered in the days that followed that event. She remembered also the feeling that had plagued her just as she had stopped the previous night before collapsing.

Suddenly, her instincts were no longer telling her to look further, no. They were screaming for her to escape, run, get on that motorbike and GTFOOT - get the fuck out of there. But why? Her uneasiness, everything in the clearing, it must have connected somehow. But if it did, it still remained a mystery as to the specifics and... and then she saw him. Standing there with only one arm and a hole in the side of his head, clutching a wooden frame like his life depended on it, was Rhys. 

Cinder wanted to kill herself at that moment. She had done all this work... to find this dork? He looked in need of help, sure, but... seriously? She glared at the back of his head. She wasn't mad at him, but she sure as hell was mad and he just so happened to be the closest living creature within a fifty metre radius. As her never used motto went, "If I'm mad and Im not allowed to punch it, glare at it until it dies." She didn't keep staring for long though. Apart from the instincts that were still yelling for her to flee, she trusted her own intentions. She was here for a reason. Besides, now that she thought about it, Rhys wasn't so bad. Ehh, he was but...

It was then that he chose to turn around. He was gazing at the framed document with a certain fondness nobody should have for a piece of paper. Like a drunk lizard, he began to walk forward, his long legs staggering. He stopped, arm outstretched in an attempt to balance himself and an extremely confused expression painting his face. Cinder noticed he only had one eye opened. He didn't notice her at all. He sighed and tried to go onward and walk normally, only to trip on thin fucking air. Cinder shot forward and caught him around the shoulders... uhh, single shoulder? It happened, but how, even she couldn't tell you. "I got you, ya nerd." She said as she helped him back up.

"This might sound dumb, but, what are you doing here?" Rhys asked as he came to grips with who had spoken to him.

"Honestly, I can't answer that for you. Better question, what the fuck happened to you?" Rhys reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small blue mechanism. It was an ECHO eye. It was his ECHO eye.

"Remember how I told you I was talking to Handsome Jack that morning at the Inn?" He asked as he handed it to her. She inspected it closely as she nodded inquisitively . "Well, he's right there."

"What?!" Cinder screeched, dropping the lens into the muddy surface below. 

"I uploaded data from a drive into my head and it contained an AI of Jack. I guess it was mostly in the eye cause he altered it a bunch." He looked away guiltily. Cinder was more surprised at the fact that she couldn't pick up any sign of a lie on his face. He was... telling the truth. She turned around and looked back at the entrance to the clearing, cupping her face with her hands. She shook her head in frustration. No. No, she couldn't believe that. Load of crap, that's all he was saying, bunch of lies, he just knew how to hide it and... Her feet drifted her forward.

"I... I must be going insane. Seriously, I-I believe this..." She turned to face him directly. "Am I insane for believing you?" 

"Probably. But, setting that aside, I kinda need some help." He gestured to the fact that he didn't have a second arm.

"Yeah, I'll help you. But promise me this..." She hesitated. "Promise me you'll pay back everything that you owe and..."

"Yes?" She cringed at the thought of asking for the next part. She gulped and took a shaky breath.

"Promise me I'm not insane."

"Well, I can't make any promises on that part, at least." He chuckled before continuing."But I'll promise you this; we're all mad here. And, I guess, that means you aren't any different to the rest of us."

Cinder laughed half heartedly. "True that."

"Now, could you help me?"


	4. The words we speak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of talking. Plot development. That's it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop whoop! It's here! Chapter 4 is here my... uhh... one follower!
> 
> I don't know just enjoy it ok.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: SOME CHARACTERS MAY OR MAY NOT BE OOC. THIS IS JUST MY BAD WRITING SKILLS. DONT BE ANGRY WITH ME

"Explain this to me; why should I trust you with this?"

"You shouldn't."

"Right. That makes more sense... but i don't have any of that, so I'm trusting you."

"You're an idiot." There was a moment of silence.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL, CINDER?!"

"Well, if you'd STOP MOVING YOUR HEAD, WE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS MESS!"

"Shut up."

"Make me, bitch." Cinder said with a smirk. She continued her work. She was trying to help block the open hole in his head, where the access drive had originally been. Until he could manufacture a new one to wire to his brain, the hole simply needed to be blocked until further notice. But blocking it off was the hard part. When you have as much patience as a drop bear after it sees its victim, it's kinda hard to do it yourself. It's much easier to just ask the friend that rescued you from the smouldering mess of a once buzzing Hyperion base, who might be not only a bit more than pissed off at you, but also truly exhausted. But, Cinder had still done it - he had proven unable to do so himself and could obviously use the aid.

"Can I move out of this position soon? This is really uncomfortable." Rhys asked. Cinder could see how it would be uncomfortable; he was crouched, balancing awkwardly on his feet, with his head resting on a bench. Yeah, he was living the fucking high life over there. But Cinder shook her head.

"If you keep moving around, it'll make this whole process longer and you'll be stuck here. So stop moving and you just might!" She replied, a demonic sounding perk in her tone of voice. She fumbled with the bandages, their adhesive sticking lopsided and not how it needed to be. She groaned much too audibly and kept trying. For minutes, the silence was awkward and begged for someone to speak, but if somebody had, Cinder would have punched them... no questions asked. Finally, she managed to make it work. "Get up nerd. It's all done." She said, drawing away from the table. He sat up, unnervingly cracking his neck.

"That... took... a long time." He said in intervals as he stretched. 

"Oh my. Seven minutes of waiting? What... a travesty. I am... so sorry... for you." She said teasingly with a goofy grin that she tried to block. He glared at her again.

"Seriously, shut up."

"What if I don't want to?" She said slyly. This time, she didn't try to block her smile.

"I'll come come over there and... do something that'll... mess you... up?" Confusion was his only readable expression.

"Sure." Cinder said with a shrug. "I'm terrified." Danika walked through the door. 

"Sinful, when's the delivery 'posed to get 'ere?" She asked as she leaned on the doorframe of the break room.

"Tomorrow. Why?"

"No reason. We're just runnin' outta some crap's all."

"There's plenty of crap in the desert, you can trust me on that. Need any? You'll find it." It was Rhys who made that last comment. 

"Whatever, daft. But I..." Danika held up a finger, only to trail off as she looked at the two people sitting on the ground. She eyed both of them off, before blushing and turning around, mumbling some excuse as she exited the room hastily. Rhys and Cinder just stared at each other in surprise, genuinely sharing confusion about something. Danika was weird and dumb, but... What?!

*

"Cinder, I need help." Rhys said as he walked up to Cinder's desk. She threw down her pencil.

"What the fuck is new?" She asked.

"I kinda need help in designing new cybernetics and I assumed, since you're Pandoran, you know more about mechanics than me cause... reasons. And you might be able to help design one for me." He looked pleading. Cinder sat back in her chair and eyed him off.

"What's the catch?" 

"There isn't any. I just need a little more help. And I swear, after this, I'll be gone and you won't have to worry about me any more."

"Well, I wasn't worrying to begin with, but, OK. Yeah, I'll help. Got any concepts?"

"Concepts?"

"Drafts of designs. In industrial technology, we designed guns using the traditional parts of different brands that make weaponry, most popularly, Dahl and Torgue. But, we had to make multiple drafts, or concepts, before actually making anything out of it." She explained with satisfaction. Rhys gave a nod of understanding, but stood back in a way Cinder knew meant he had a confession to make.

"Yeah, that's cool and all, but, I, uh, don't have... any... concepts. At all." Cinder's jaw dropped.

"You are fucking kidding me, right?" She asked, utterly disgusted. He shook his head.

"That's what I wanted help with... designing it. I thought I said that already." He said with major hesitation, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh my god. Well, this ain't no shit show, you gotta do something before I step in. Take what you already know about the stuff and make any necessary alterations in your concept designs." She stood, feeling like a teacher and... hey, this wasn't too bad. She stood up and got in close, to maximise the uncomfortable. "Now, if your gonna do this thing, you're gonna need at least four different, but similar designs. Got it?" She felt like she was preaching to him, even despite being about a head or so shorter. He nodded with speed. With a flick of her trench-coat, she sat back down. Rhys made a run for it. Good. She didn't have time for him.

*

Nibbling the tip of her pencil, Cinder stared at the sketches that were spread over her bedsheets, sprinkled with rubber shavings she was too lazy to sweep away. From the chest of drawers, her digital clocked ticked past 1:30. She ignored the small chirp that it made by the half hour. She had completed three separate designs, despite having an extremely limited knowledge of how cybernetics were actually supposed to work. One in particular, after she had completed the general sketch, had turned into a lot more. 

It was much more complex than the other two, with a perspective shot of all sides, what appeared to be proper proportions in comparison to the blocky original he had owned and a genuinely realistic look about it, save for maybe the hand. She had even labeled its material of makeup - titanium. It was clear that design was her favourite and she knew as she looked over them all that that was the design she would give him. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, resting them after hours of staring constantly down at the paper. She longed to read the many books she had packed away under her bed instead of this shit, but, she knew if she did that...

She thrust her stationery to the ground, many of the scribbled out pages fluttering about her as if in a blind panic. She reached for the ones that had completed concepts and almost flung them onto the bedside while using her other hand to aggressively rid the bedspread of rubber shavings. After a minute of ferocious sweeping, she lay across the bed on her stomach, burying her face into the violet fabric. She was finished; one thorough sketch and two simple ones were good enough for her. 

*

"What do you think?" Cinder asked. She had just given Rhys her concepts and as she searched them, he seemed totally engrossed in their information. She yawned for what must have been the twenty seventh time that morning and painfully wiped sleep from her eyes. She hoped the bags under her eyes weren't too obvious, because if someone asked about them, she wouldn't have been able to answer. See, it did not take long for her to turn to rest when she was tired as she had been for the past few weeks - the same amount of time the dreams had been haunting her - but when she did sleep, she was quick to rise again. The dreams were in fact haunting, for they would still make no sense to even to a skilled person who may have studied neurology and the science of dreams for decades. 

Sometimes, she knew they were projections of the past, memories. They were never of the few good memories of her past though. They always showed the demons at followed her about the shire and the foul creature that had killed Maria and the way the life had drained from her eyes as she looked at Cinder standing in the doorway. They would reveal the many things other hunters had said about her; too young, just a little girl, won't get anywhere, can't do anything, just a little girl, weak, how'd she get a job in this profession, seriously, you're messing with the wrong crowd kiddo, you're just a little girl in a freaking big world. In the dreamscape she could hear the words they said in voices original to the hosts whom had spoken. 

But not always were the dreams memories. In fact, most of her dreams were far from memories. Most of the time, she would connect with visions of people, events and sounds that she assumed were instead projections of the present or future. But this was the most terrifying part of it all. When she dreamed of the present, she was always aware that at least something similar to it was happening. For example, the night that Rhys and Fiona had arrived, she had dreamed of their professions clashing the way that Rhys described the next morning. It was a vision of the present. But then, the ones she could only guess we're meant for the future. It sent a chill down her spine at the very thought of it. She couldn't understand the meaning of them and in some cases, they were, simply put, terrifying. She remembered the rest of her dream from that night. The sight of blood flying through the air, accompanied but the unfamiliar scream of vaguely familiar voice. What could it mean? And, say it was a vision of the future; what the actual fuck. That's not only terrifying but also shrouded in some risky fucking mystery.

It was because of these vision-like dreams that she saw almost every time she slept, that she rarely slept. She would never admit to it, but she afraid of what she might see in the next dream. If it was of the past, she would wake in a blind panic, choking back cries so they couldn't hear her. Even at the distance there was between Cinder and them, you never know if they just might hear you and you accidentally reignite their lust for your tears. If it was of the present, she would no doubt have it interrupted by a different vision. And if it was for the future... she didn't want to think about it. And last night had been another one these horrendous episodes - full of creatures from the past clawing their way at her. She cringed visibly in her trench-coat. She really didn't need to be thinking about this.

"These, are INCREDIBLE, CINDER!" Rhys shouted in excitement. Cinder snapped out of the seemingly lethargic induced trance and returned to reality, where Rhys was smiling like a fucking dork. "Seriously, for someone who admitted to not knowing anything about cybernetics, these are amazing. Not even some of the engineers up on Hyperion would have come up with something this complex!" He continued as he raised that one sketch that Cinder had been proud of the previous night. She smiled as well. She tried to talk, but he cut her off, going on another tangent. "God, this one is beautiful! I mean, the hardest part would be getting the titanium - of all things! Seriously, you have everything I would need to make this right on the page!" He laughed as he brought the page closer to face, as if he was reading fine-print. Suddenly, his chatter and happiness ceased and Cinder grew anxious, despite not showing it. "Cinder, how long were you up doing this last night?"

"Gah, only to about 1:30 maybe 2 o'clock..." She tried to say, but he cut her off again.

"Oh my god! What is wrong with you?! You work so late and then did all this night and God, no offence, but you look awful. You kinda need to use sleep."

"I do not! Need sleep I mean, god, I know I look awful, tell me something I don't already know."

"You need sleep and, despite the obvious signs that you need sleep making you look kinda vampire-ish, you actually look quite nice." 

"I fucking don't!"

"Look at that; I just told you something you don't already know!"

"If you keep this up, jackass, I'm kicking you out of here. I don't tolerate whiny people who try to tell me how to live my life."

"Trust me, you need it and you are."

"Shut up!"

"Make me, bitch!"

"That's my line and you fucking know it."

"Why do you think I used it?"

"Close your damn mouth already. I can feel my already not high IQ dropping every time you speak."

*

"Well, here we meet again."

"What do you want now Rhys?"

"To say goodbye." Her head snapped in his direction.

"What?" He pulled out the frame that he had been holding so dearly when she had saved him and showed it to her.

"This literally means I own Atlas." Cinder was slightly more than shocked. He'd stolen the rights to a fucking company. A dead company. He continued to talk, but she was dim to it. That was low. 

Everything that followed was a blur to her. She couldn't really think straight. She figured it was just exhaustion finally getting to her, but she felt it was more than that. But as she woke up in the doorway of her bedroom the next morning, she decided to let it fly under the radar. Whatever it was she felt was wrong didn't need to become yet another burden to her. It was the last thing she needed. And what she did need, she now realised had been a correct speculation on Rhys's part, was time off work and some time to fucking sleep in.

She kicked out the three inhabitants that took up the rooms, collecting their payment with an apology and as friendly a wave as she could muster. But, she hadn't intended that to be a green light for Danika, who, you guessed it, took it as a green light. You may be asking the author exactly what she saw a green light for, but, if you shut up, the author will tell you. Danika saw a green light for a getaway, a holiday to some beach somewhere and to leave Cinder behind.

Normally, a person wouldn't be extremely offended at this. They would just be, what's the word, disgusted at their friends absence of including them with anything. And with the brilliant mind of Danika - dumb as a pile of Skag crap - she had chosen to take Johnny along with her... and not Cinder. And Cinder, like most people, wasn't extremely offended. She was utterly disgusted and wanted to slap Danika right across the face, but other than that, she was totally neutral about it. It's not like she was already planning to show them both how much fun lying spread eagle on the couch with several bags of chips and a doing Netflix marathon ALONE would be for her on their time out. 

If you think Cinder is insane, you would be correct, but you wouldn't say it to her face. The mask she tends to wear is a very convincing one, most would be fooled by it's angry eyes and snarling tone of voice. They would assume her to be one of those naturally aggressive predators and wouldn't even expect that a mask was even being worn. If they knew it existed, they would be afraid to know what was hidden beneath. And if they knew, they would be terrified and would immediately want to know what caused that. If someone were able to find that insanity and question her on it without removing that mask themselves, they would most likely be shot with a barrage of bullets from a legendary gun she stole when she was thirteen. An instant game over.

But, what nobody would expect is the way she would half wear that mask around people she thought she could trust. The way it would half hang around Danika and she could act like a fool without being judged. The way she allowed a sliver of her skin to show to Johnny to prove she wasn't heartless. The way she half wore it around Molly (Johhny's sister) and revealed her awkward sense of humour and occasionally, her dirty mind. It wouldn't be like her to let that mask fall off and for her to not pick it up. But she had done that around someone; around Rhys. And somehow, she felt as though she could do that sort of thing again and that she could trust him.

It was this she began to think of as she in her bed, all alone in the Inn the night Danika and Johnny had left. There weren't many people she knew she could trust at any degree, but someone she still didn't know a lot about... she felt as though she could trust him. And as though she could trust him more than Danika and Molly and Johnny put together. She felt as though there was a connection between them somewhere, but where, she hadn't a clue. She ran her hand over her tattoos, lightly bumping her shorts and crop top with each time she rebounded to go the other direction. It was an odd comfort to touch them, to know she had some sort of defence, even if she knew nothing about how she could use them. 

She tilted her head and reached down under her bed, groping around for the box that contained her supply of books. As she found it, she pulled it out from underneath the bed and grabbed the first book at the top of the pile. Removing the book and thrusting the box back below the bed, she read the title with much earned relish. She opened to the first page and became lost in fiction.


	5. Alluring Glows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chapter Where Plot Related Shit Actually Happened And The Story Progressed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well yeah, here's the chapter where some more plot resulted things actually happen... I advise you pay attention to this chapter, some things will be brought back and some things that are said, while confusing now, will be explained.
> 
> This is a chapter that I like. It's not bad... ITS NOT BAD FOR FRICK SAKE
> 
> Shout out to my bestie for helping me through this by being a good reader and motivating me to write when the obnoxious writers cube sits on my iPad and won't let me write anything... I've been writing a lot lately, Stay for the Sirens isn't my only story and YEAH I'm practically brain dead.
> 
> Yeah you've seen the disclaimer about my bad writing and the whole OOC thing before, you've read the other chapters before this one. You get it by now.

"Guess who wants a goat?" Cinder exclaimed as she strode unconfidently into the break room. Danika and Johnny were pretzeled on the couch, a literal tangle of limbs. They both groaned loudly.

"Let me guess, it's your time of month, isn't it?" Johnny asked in that deadpan monotone he always spoke to her with.

"Well, aren't you fucking smart? Also, we're out of chocolate." She followed up.

"Well, them deliveries ain't comin' 'til a few more weeks, soo..." Danika said with a smirk. Cinder fell against the back of the couch and groaned.

"How am I supposed to survive this, then?" She asked into the fabric.

"I don't know. Figure it out, Sinful." Johnny said much more aggressively. Cinders arm reached out and punched him. He made a few pained noises and fell off the lounge, much to the two girl's amusement. "That wasn't funny!" He shouted from the floor. 

"Also, this came today. Some sorta new uniform policy or sumthin'." Danika said as she passed Cinder some papers. Cinder lifted her head enough to read the pages of info.

"Wait, we have to wear skirts now?!" She shouted as she read the senior uniform changes. What a load of crap!"

"I'm excited. You should be too." Danika stated blandly. 

"Except I'm not a slut who wears skirts shorter than knee length," Cinder murmured through her teeth as she read that it had be navy blue and above the knee, but not too short. 

"What?!" Danika asked way too loudly.

"I didn't say anything, you daft." Cinder said, throwing the pages behind her and stalking to her room. She stopped in the doorway of her room and let out an almighty moan. Blood. And lots of it.

*

Cinder stared down at the scars on her arm. It had been over fourteen years since that monster had left those cuts. They had severed for days and drained every power she had at that time when she was so young, only, what, four, five years old? She had realised that with the coming of a new year she was 19. She had lost track of her birthday since the shire, so it just became, a New Year comes and you're a year older. A true philosophy at that.

The scars weren't badly notable against the tattoos blue colour, but occasionally the edges of them burnt like the night the cuts were made. The conductor of her power had not been tarnished to the point she couldn't use it, but it had been yanked from her for years. And for the first time in many years, as she balled her fist in anger, they glowed. But they didn't glow blue like they normally were; it morphed into a deep, luminescent indigo-violet, outlined at the scars by a pinkish merge. 

"You really don't belong here, you halfwits." Genise said with a way too smug look. Johnny cowered back and stepped away from the girls, but she payed him no attention. She noticed Cinder's balled fist.

"Go ahead. Hit me. Get yourself expelled on the first day back of your third time doing the final grade. Do it. I dare you." Genise teased. One of the girls standing behind her cringed. Cinder could feel her anger bubbling and she really was considering knocking at stupid girls jaw off her fucking skull. But she had restraint, after needing to use it for so long.

"What makes you so special, Linfucker?" Danika asked, parodying her last name to be offensive.

"Linfucker. That's cute. And what makes me special is the fact that i belong here. You two don't. Don't think I don't what those tats of yours mean, Forest. You aren't exempt either, Lucifer." 

"Thanks for calling me the ruler of hell, who I'm sure will be happy to throw you into the seventh circle when Cerberus meets you at the gates!" Danikas speech for once wasn't slurred and Cinder knew for sure Genise had got on her last nerve. 

"Haha." Genise griped in a deadpan tone. "I'm sure we'll have a great time together in that circle." Cinder grabbed Danika's arm as she started forward. "Don't stop her, Sinful! Let her do her thing, let her get expelled, let her go back to that smelly Inn and never return." Cinders angry expression fell and she began to laugh. However, it was one of those laughs that signified frustration and her still furrowed brow was evidence of that.

Suddenly, Genise let out a shout of terror and began thrashing around her left leg. Something large, furry and purple flung off of it. It was a spider. A mutated Tarantula of sorts. It was much larger than any Tarantula on Pandora and its legs were longer than most spiders'. Cinder grinned and held out her arm, crouching down to it. It studied for hand and her arm and its vaguely glowing lines before climbing steadily onto her. She stood up and held out the palm of her hand, the spider sitting snugly. It wasn't in any way threatening her.

"What?! What the hell?! That thing is on your body and it's not attacking you!! You're a freak!!" Genise shouted as she was pulled back by a few other girls. She fought against them and continued to shout as her friends dragged her off, trying to hush her up. Cinder smiled more and looked back at the spider.

"I'll call you..." She took a moment to think. "Alura." She assumed it was a girl. It swayed slightly on its long legs. Johnny touched the tips of his fingers and approached with caution. Danika merely stared in bewilderment.

"Dude, that was awesome." Danika eventually managed to utter.

"As much as I hate this skirt, I have to say - this year is off to a good start." Cinder said in a rarely happy tone. "Wanna be my... pet spider, Alura?" The spider somehow managed to bow. Cinder smiled and let it down at her feet. She realised that, despite her purple fur, Alura blended in with the sandy ground. "I am so going to lose track of you." She finally stated.

*

"God, how are we only two months in? It feels like it's been a year already." Johnny asked from the couch where he was working on a Mathematics assignment, fingers interlaced in his gravity defying, blond locks.

"You got as much a clue as me." Danika said blandly as she too worked on an assignment. Cinder nodded silently, her pencil moving steadily over a sketch. It was late in the afternoon and the still closed Inn was silent - save for their occasional chatter to break the odd tension in the break room. 

"But, let's be honest here, this summer went way too fast, didn't it?" Johnny questioned in a mock miserable tone. Both of the girls nodded in agreement. Danika began talking again, but Cinder didn't look their way. Instead, she glanced the opposite direction, distracted by Alura's choice to dance on the bar counter. Alura had proven herself useful by killing a lot of the pests in the Inn (including the few rats), and by scaring off almost every person that approached her at school thus far. That's pretty fucking useful. But moments like this were sudden, most of the time annoying and on the rare occasion... very cringey.

The room filled with a sudden loud noise as Alura stopped her merry dance and began freaking out, long purple legs flying everywhere on the marble countertop. Cinder stood with annoyance - yes Alura was useful and all, but her random freak outs were useless and on the odd occasion slightly terrifying. As Cinder calmed the creature down and fed it a general piece of food, her pocket began to buzz. She removed the small ECHO device and checked its warning... What? According to the reading, some idiot was breaking in. Or she had left the door unlocked and they had ignored the closed sign and walked in. 

She stalked off, grabbing her trench-coat and flung open the door of the break room, breaking into a sprint as soon as it was open. She rounded the corner of the hallway and grabbed hold of the wall ending, using it to fling her down the rest of the hallway. As she ran, her fingers took firm grip of the gun lying in her holster. She rounded the final corner and raised her gun into the space of the front area. The person raised their hands in terror and immediately started begging for mercy on his soul. Cinder, without lowering her gun, lowered her head instead and laughed through her teeth. It wasn't a laugh of happiness; it was one of pain and she glanced to the side, avoiding the person. The author wishes you to take a guess on who had paid Cinder a visit... No seriously. Make an honest guess. Stop reading the story and take a moment - a single moment to guess who... The author doesn't want to hear your answers because if you guessed that it was Rhys making his return, you would be far too correct.

Looking semi-better since the last time she saw him, he stood looking terrified for his life. He was wearing some scrappy dregs for a shirt, his pants were torn in many places and there were many patches at which he had visibly attempted to fix them. His shoes were nearly nonexistent and his hair was one gigantic mess, untamed and everywhere. Other noticeable differences included; a second arm, a prototype of sorts that was identical to the design Cinder had created, a sealed port on the left side of his head and a new ECHO eye - this one was yellow and probably updated. Lowering his hands in hesitation as she made no indication of actually shooting, his face changed and she knew he was going to try and bargain with her. But he did not. He instead spoke of her clothes.

"Uhh... nice outfit. I'm guessing you didn't choose it yourself?" He asked with a smirk, his hands still raised somewhat defensively. She glared and squeezed the trigger enough to make a threat. She was still wearing her school uniform and tie and was now in the trench coat... she must have looked like an idiot.

"Guess we have something in common now, jackass." She said sassily adjusting that stupid tie that was practically choking her. He gave her a lopsided smile as he looked down at himself, making a half hearted chuckle

"I guess... so." She moved the gun back into its holster. She narrowed her eyes at him as the ECHO eye began to glow slightly and he inspected her closely. As he did so, his arms folded and Cinder was slightly surprised at how well the new cybernetics worked. He continued to stare and his facial expressions changed multiple times as he looked her over. He mumbled frequently and made many short exhales of his breath. Cinder folded her own arms and leaned on her hip, making it all the more easy to scan her with that eye. She managed to catch a few things he said.

"Unknown... well isn't that helpful... only by three months, I'm calling bullshit on that one echo... seems legit, you know, for cinder... in the skirt, you're shitting me right... Jakobs... well no shit, Sherlock." The glow finally faded away and Cinder spoke again.

"Finished checking me out, bitch?" said Cinder with a smirk. His face darkened with a deep shade of red and he stumbled on every word possible. Cinder's fell to an expression of 'I'm getting real tired of your bullshit' and waited. Eventually, he stopped altogether and buried his face in his hands.

"I was just scanning you." He finally managed to say in a small, timid voice. But Cinder knew by the hue his face still was he was telling the complete truth. She gave a sarcastic return of dialogue and then proceeded properly.

"So exactly what did you want from me? You aren't here to just see me. I know that much. Nobody is ever just here to see me." She said, approaching him with balled fists. He stepped back as she drew nearer. He stammered, but no words came out. She raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Got an answer?" She stopped moving and so did he, except for the hand that ran itself though his tangled hair.

"I... I." He paused and sighed. "Need your help." His blush intensified.

"I don't know what I was expecting," she mumbled under her breath. She shook her head. "What now, Rhys?" He glanced away, his tired eyes unwilling to keep contact with her own.

"Well, after I left, I went back to Old Haven and it was... traumatising. I had to use the Gortys facility to make the arm and port and fix the eye; rebuild myself AND i did it while surrounded by dead bodies and..." He stopped and gave her a sorry expression. "Some bandits took it over a few days ago and threw me out with nothing." Cinder squinted.

"You want me to help with what? Overthrowing the facility so you can get it back?" She asked with an annoyed tone.

"What?! No! Nothing like that! I just..." He gave a disgusted snort. "I need help with..." He pulled at his shirt with disgust. "Whatever this is! I know you and Danika are good with this stuff and-" he was cut off.

"Well, I would gladly help you normally, but if you can't read or something, Epsilon Inn is closed! Not today buddy." She turned and cringed at herself. She remembered the few days she was alone after he had left and how she longed to talk with him and how she trusted him. God. She had thought she could trust him. All he had ever done was get help from her! Hell, he was worse than Athena when it came to repaying debts to her! Karma would one day collect those debts, but this wasn't that day! He called her name and she was smacked with a sudden vertigo and she feared. For a moment, she was overcome with a crippling fear - of what she had not a clue, but her whole body shivered from it. She remembered her dream that she had so long ago. That unfamiliar scream of a familiar voice. Her mind ran at the speed of light and her head was spinning painfully. She dropped to her knees.

*

"What's up with you lately?!" Johnny yelled as Cinder came back to consciousness. She shook her head slightly and glared up at the flickering light above her. She made a noise that indicated she had heard him, but made no further answer. She heard a hand hitting someone, proceeded by a sharp yowl of pain from Johnny. She smirked and closed her eyes again, laying her head back on whatever surface she was on. She became aware vaguely that her coat was being used as a makeshift blanket.

There was an awkward silence between them all for minutes on end and finally, Cinder attempted to sit up. As she did so, her vertigo hit her squarely once more but she thrust it aside and looked around the room. She was in the break room, lying on the floor with her head propped on the couch. Danika and Johnny were bickering somewhere behind her line of vision. She found the sounds of their voices oddly comforting and as a furry sensation brushed her cheek, she was thankful for adopting Alura. Rhys was leaning awkwardly against the wall, his face still red. She gave him a blank look.

"I'll help you. Ok?" She said quietly, shaking her head. Despite her volume in comparison to that of her friend's, she still managed to catch his attention.

"I'm sorry?" He asked in a dazed confusion.

"If I can get measurements and some other shit, I can do it." 

"But, you said-" 

"I'm going back on what I said back there! Ok?! Trust me, alright?" She said with slight frustration. His smile was broad and thankful.

"You don't know how much this means..." He trailed off as Cinder pushed off the floor. 

"Yeah, I'm only doing this because I know you'll pester me until I do it. It's easier to just do it." He gave a nod and smiled dopily. 

"That's true," he managed to say as she began walking properly.

"Woah, calm it Sinful! Don't be too hasty now, ya just passed out!" Cinder ignored her friends warnings and continued forward, only to be caught by Rhys as she stumbled near him.

"It was only from exhaustion, OK? That's why I passed out. I swear, I'm fine!" She said from her ironic position.

"I believe the sophisticated word for it is 'fainted'." Johnny pointed out in his sarcastic voice. She shot a glare in his direction as her feet carried her forward. She glanced down at the couch where Alura was carefully camouflaged and pressed awkwardly onward. Much grace and many curses later, she was standing in the centre of the room, with a support (yeah, totally fine, Cinder). 

"Alright dork, got any ideas for this outfit I'm making for you?" Rhys shook his head. 

"Figure I'd leave it to you again." He said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Figures." 

*

"Wow. Your room is like, really plain. Seriously, where is the decoration in here?"

"The budget goes into running this place for the public, not decorati-"

"YOU HAVE A BATHROOM TO YOURSELF?! OH MY GOD YOU MEANIE I WANT ONE!!" Rhys squealed and Cinder immediately regretted bringing him here to get measurements. She grabbed hold of the pigmented fabric of his 'shirt' as he launched towards her bathroom.

"Ah-ah! No! We're here to get measurements and that is it. Got that?" She said, sounding like a depressed substitute teacher or by extension a really done 'soccer mom' at the PTA meetings. He made a pleading face at her.

"But..." He raised his arms at the doorway and said no more.

"Oh yeah cause that's helpful." She mumbled to herself as she opened one of her drawers to reveal a measuring tape. He sat miserably on her bed and glanced around the room, probably scanning all sorts of her belongings. She didn't bother trying to stop him; she couldn't be bothered when her head was still spinning like a spin-top on her shoulders. "Alright, up." She said firmly and he obeyed, standing promptly. "Off that top." She said in an annoyed tone.

"What?" 

"I'm not a fucking dick head. I'm not gonna get proper measurements when your wearing something like that. Off!" He glared at her and turned around, still doing as told. He mumbled to himself - something along the lines of 'yes mom' - but Cinder really couldn't be bothered with him. But as soon as the long sleeved shirt had been removed, she saw somethings that made her stomach lurch. Tattoos all up his left side. An intricate pattern in a royal blue hue. As he turned, she slipped her trench coat low enough on her arm so that she could see the tattoos of her own and to her horror, they were glowing. Only slightly, but there was still something there. Before he could see her, Cinder slipped the coat back to its original position and pretended as though nothing was bothering her. 

Pulling back the tape to be outstretched, she began measuring shoulder width and arm length. For a while she was silent and so was Rhys. It was way too awkward and eventually she spoke, but not about the topic she wanted.

"Nice ink." She stated blandly, wrapping the tape measure as best she could around his waist.

"Uhh... thanks." He stammered with hesitation. She raised a brow.

"Why so hesitant?"

"I don't know. It's just... I don't know. They're... more a scar for me now." She could tell that wasn't a lie and hearing the word 'scar' brought a throb of pain to her own tattoos.

"That because they look like a Siren's tats?" She asked, hoping that was the answer. She felt a stinging pain flood the blue markings on her own body and visibly shivered.

"Yeah, I guess. Wait, how do you know what they look like?" He asked curiously, a set expression crossing his face and a strange tinge lacing his voice. Cinder stopped noting measurements and a panicked expression flowed over her face. She thought of anything she could and quickly made an excuse, trying her hardest to sound convincing.

"When I was a kid, I wasn't really allowed to leave the house that much. So I read books about Pandora's history and its myths and shit like that. It had a petty good example of the average sirens tattoos. And don't feel embarrassed if you were inspired by sirens tats to get those, cause..." She pushed her trench coat off her and pulled up her left sleeve to fully reveal her left arm. "That's what I did." She breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she realised the tattoos weren't glowing anymore. He smiled the smallest and cutest she had ever seen.

"That's reassuring, honestly. Knowing I'm not the only one." Cinder returned his smile, but she could tell at that moment, he was lying. She began to wonder as she continued to measure and talk with him; was he a siren? It was entirely possible at this point, to tell the truth. Alura prodded her foot with her poignant little legs and Cinder grew slightly more comfortable. 

"STOP GIGGLING. OH MY GOD, RHYS!" 

* 

A cold hand gripped Cinder's heart as she woke. Throwing the sheets aside she flew off her bed and began pacing, doing whatever she could to calm her ragged breath and pounding heart. Her room was silent and so was the rest of the Inn and Cinder wished for someone to be there. Danika. Johnny. Rhys. Any of them. She wished she could just scream for them and get their assistance, but... she felt like such a burden after the events of earlier and another part of her simply wanted them all not to worry. They didn't worry for her much as it was and she wished for them to do it no more than that.

Still, tears pooled over her eyelids and slid down her cheeks but she strained them closed. No. No. Not now. Nausea gripped her once again and she cursed how quickly she had roused herself. Within seconds, she was back on the bed, rocking back and forth gently, focusing everything on not crying. But sobs still managed to boil over and fear seeped into her mind. She was certain they had heard her. That stopped her tears in their tracks and she sat back, now focusing on keeping herself calm. But the dream was coming back to her now. And at full force.

A blue glow, so vibrant. Feathers splurging out in the form of a wing. The shape had disappeared and been replaced by that god forsaken scream. But now, it was louder and more blood was being spilled. But it didn't end there. It was followed by many voices, all yelling at once and was followed by more images - ones that she truly couldn't understand at all. The wing appeared again, but it was accompanied by a small piece of metal - what appeared to be titanium. A small golden gun with a an elemental upgrade flying out of somebody's hand. A tattered blue scarf, stained with blood, fluttering to the ground beside a pair of green tinted glasses. A pair of goggles ripped away from someone and being crushed to pieces. A cracked emerald choker ripped by it's leather strap. A Stetson hat landing solemnly beside a single Skag claw. A chunk of red hair fluttering beside a slag barrel. What did it all mean?! What the fuck?! What the fuck could this all mean?!

*

Rhys woke in a sweaty panic, his tattoos glowing vibrantly. For the first time ever, he had dreamed of something he couldn't understand. It made no sense. It made him want to cry. It made him want someone there with him. It made him want to be with the rest of the people in this Inn. It made him want Cinder. For that moment, he just wanted to be around her. That poor girl, only nineteen and suffering so much... As much as he wanted to see her and talk to her about it, he knew he couldn't. So much was going on for her, she didn't need his dream added to the list of things to worry about. She was already making him new clothes and allowing him to stay here when it wasn't even open. His face went red and tears escaped his stinging eyes.

He remembered how she had collapsed earlier that day and how he had picked up her and brought her to the others without any explanation. They had been quick to act and long to question when he had returned or why he was here, but he was more thankful than anything for that. He knew Cinder didn't need this dream problem, but... God, he needed to tell someone about his dream. With frantically placed words and quick pace, he began speaking to nothing.

"There was a blueish purplish glow, lined by pink. Blood. Lots of it. A scream. Someone I know but I haven't heard that scream from them before." He became aware of a large purple spider on the ground. It was bigger than a tarantula and had longer legs than most spiders. He smiled at it and spoke directly to it. "The colours formed a wing and there was a purple hairband. Fiona's gun was there. Blue scarf and Vaughn's old Hyperion glasses. Sasha's old goggles - crushed to bits. Cracked green gemstone necklace, all ripped up. A cowboy hat, a cool one, beside the claw of a Skag. Red hair, bunch of it and a barrel with a purple symbol on it. Augh, what does it mean?" He asked the spider. It shrugged at him, sassily moving itself around. 

It reminded him of Cinder and her sassy way of talking to him. His tears continued to spill, but he smiled dopily. He held out his hand to the spider and beckoned it. It came over and crawled up his arm, happily teasing his glowing blue markings. He laughed quietly to himself.

"I'm gonna call you Cindy."


	6. Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .....................

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I really don't know how to explain this chapter...
> 
> This ones a bit messy if I'm being perfectly honest and it might be re written later on, but for now, this is how it is. I'm only leaving it because I'm writing a LOT of other stuff right now. Continuing this fic right here, a Pokemon story, Camp Hera and some other AU stuff.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter if you can

The following days were awkward and mostly quiet. It was like those days where one would just curl up under a fluffy blanket and ignore everyone, saying nothing and only ever moving to eat. Except, everyone was acting like it and it wasn't just for a day. Cinder managed to be productive in creating a clothing design and making or finding the required patterns to make them, but finding fabric was proving to be difficult. There was only a small amount of the stuff in the Inn and it wouldn't be right for these kinds of clothes. It was far too refined. The three high school students worked hard on assignments and spoke barely. Rhys stayed to himself in his room, not wanting to interrupt them.

It was on the fourth of these days that someone finally spoke of anything. It was Danika who had said the words and she had said them loud and clear... but nobody had heard the words. It was like she spoke a different language - neither Johnny nor Cinder could understand her. In reality, she had merely stated they were out of powdered milk, but it was like she had spoken a foreign Eridiun insult that any Pandoran would spend days attempting to decipher using their own primitive language. But the words shook every person, including Danika herself, whom felt strange to be the first to say anything in so long.

Eventually, the shipment of fabric Cinder ordered arrived and she had something to do that wasn't schoolwork. After the school found out about her full time job, they simply emailed her web-pages and articles for her to use for learning purposes and expected her to do assessment tasks and tests in her own time, but to have them back on time. They didn't really expect her to come in all the time, but they would be 'happy to have you back. Besides, if you don't get at least a 45% attendance rate this year, looks like you won't be graduating.' She knew it was a dupe from the start, but God, she wasn't dealing with another year of this bullshit. It felt good to be doing something different and it was, to an extent, relaxing, even if it wasn't for her at all. 

By the time she had almost finished the entire outfit, it had been a week since her dream. Well, the first time she had it anyway. Every night since then, it had returned, haunting her with that scream and those images she couldn't understand. A growing anxiety was building within her and she longed to speak of it with someone. And, as somewhat expected, she wanted to talk to Rhys about it. Her hunch of him being a siren was also growing by the day and if it came out to be true, maybe he knew more about it than she did; given the fact he was almost a decade older than her and would, no doubt have had more experience with it. But she also feared that her hunch was a mere fluke on her part and if she did talk with him about it, he would call her a freak, a halfwit, a monster. A part of her knew it wouldn't happen, but that didn't stop the other part of her fear it was still a possibility.

What Cinder didn't know was her yearning to talk to someone wasn't a lonely one. She shared it with another person whom happened to be in the Inn; Rhys. The first time he had dreamed similar to her, he had panicked and was all too confused and had to tell someone. The first time she had dreamed similar to him she had panicked, but didn't crack like him, for her lonely nightmares had sealed the cracks they had made originally and prevented them from growing much deeper. Rhys had told Cindy about the dream the first time and as it continued to plague him, he didn't need to tell someone, only that he wanted to tell someone in detail. And he wanted to tell Cinder so badly. He didn't understand why but he feared she would shun him from the light of day if she found out the truth of his tattoos - that they were of a sirens. He knew he would have to tell her the truth of them before he could explain the dream, but he knew - somewhere in his heart - he would get rejected by her just like how Stacey had and like how most of his friends back in high school and college had done as well. The only friends he still had from that time were Vaughn and Yvette and he had never told them. He had lied his best lies to them that he got the tattoos as a young teen and still liked them and whatnot.

But he knew that, somehow, Cinder would find out soon enough. Her ability to tell lies was probably already onto him. She would find out. And he feared what would come of the day she did.

*

"Since I worked my ass off for you, I'm expecting some payment from you, but, yeah! It's finished!" Cinder said with a smile as she pushed open her bedroom door, Rhys close on her tail. He too was smiling. She sped up her pace enough to reach the bed before him and she took up the pile of folded clothing sitting by the edge of the bed. She carefully handed over the pile of black and orange fabric to him and nodded towards her bathroom. "I'll know if you use the shower, so don't try. Get changed so I can see if I need to make alterations or anything." She said, nodding to the doorway of the ensuite. He grinned and practically sprinted through the door, slamming it behind him. Cinder smiled to herself and felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. As soon as she felt the heat, she stopped smiling and hit herself. Not now, she thought. You can't be liking someone now, she continued with her thoughts.

Dragging a book off the new bookshelf in the corner, she sat back on the bed and flipped to a random page and read off it. It said something about a character named 'Daniel'. She smiled again. She wished she was like the fictional characters who always seemed to be happy and hardly seemed to suffer. They had loads of friends, only ever one enemy at a time and a loving family. Cinder closed the book and lay the front cover over her chest, turning her body to face the bedside table. It had been improved, having the alarm clock there instead of the chest of drawers, the good old lamp as always and a picture of her and her sister as kids. She reached out and grabbed the small, framed Polaroid and smiled. Even as a child, she looks so happy when she made the effort to smile. And there she stood with dear Maria Forest. The best sister anyone could have asked for. 

As tears boiled behind her eyes, she put the picture back, unwilling to bring forth the torrents that would have plagued her when she was bounty hunting. She had only committed to bounty hunting because she needed the money and after abolishing of Benson, she had proved a worthy murderer and hunter. She raised the book again and began reading the front page. It was a story of a kid in his early teens, apparently running from something. A classic. Obviously published on another planet because on Pandora, being chased by something is more annoying than it is terrifying. It would have been more direct, something like 'I frowned as the Skag gained on me. Lifting my gun, a furnished Tediore model, I shot out multiple times behind me. As its footsteps halted, I knew it was dead and I could stop running.' Cinder smiled, thinking she could become an author with lines as relatable as that.

"Now, I don't know if you're a magician, but... this is, literal magic - for an Inn keeper." Rhys said half sarcastically as the door of the ensuite opened. He stepped out, musing to himself over something and Cinder blushed. Not only were the clothes a freaking perfect fit, but they suited him to a tee. He looked hot, both literally and metaphorically - what with those three different shirts. She was happy to see the long sleeves fit nicely over his cyber arm, too. She was close to complimenting him... that couldn't happen. So, insult him instead, a voice in her head told her.

"Not even half bad... a third bad because it's on you, but still, not half bad." She blurted out and she got a snort in reply.

"Oh come on, you black haired Lert. I look fabulous and you know it." He said narcissistically, striking a pose. She chuckled at that, wondering what the fuck a 'Lert' was.

"Alright, you look good, jackass. So, I was thinking a solid 97 bucks." She stated with a smirk. As she said the price, his face changed completely.

"Ninety... seven?" He asked hesitantly.

"Ok, I'll make a deal since you're being a pussy about it; you get to use my shower tonight. Sound good?" She said with a huge and uncontrollable smirk. He stuck out a hand towards her.

"Deal." Was his answer, accompanied by a huge smile. She returned it and shook his hand. 

*

Cinder could hear vague singing under the sound of the shower later that night. She wasn't trying to read anymore - probably for the best. She lay on her side, facing away from her nightstand and staring at the ladder. Maybe, just maybe, she could go and sit in the roof for a while. Watch those three Skags wander past like they did every day in the earliest of mornings. Listen to nothing but the wind going by and the faint screams of Psychos from the nearest bandit camp. Intake the deep scent of the firemelons close by and become lost with the feeling of being lost and alone in the world while knowing exactly where you are and where you stand in it.

She pushed her sheets aside and stood on two slightly shaking feet, walking over to the ladder. She knew she wasn't wearing any shoes, but, fuck it. She climbed the first few beams before reaching up and pushing the latch open. She drew it to the side and climbed out of the newly made hole. She stood on the side balcony of the second floor. There hadn't been enough in the budget to extend the kitchen and break room up another floor, so they had made do. Cinder gazed out at the desert that surrounded the Inn, a slight breeze ruffling her long ponytail. But she didn't stop there. She took grip on the hidden ladder behind the door and climbed it, dodging the outcropped roofing tiles that always got in the way. 

She had made it to the roof.

And she sat. She simply sat. The usual hum of the Inn no longer existed. The the tangy smell of her room didn't linger with her. The usual cramped feeling she got... now she felt blissful. None of it mattered here. She sighed, remembering that the Inn would be back open soon enough, not that anyone would really care. Danika and Johnny sure wouldn't. Rhys might care, but probably not, she thought silently. She stared up at the sky and gazed into the stars. It was rare to see stars like they were tonight... She smiled.

For another five minutes or so, all there was was her and the sky and the wind. Silent and peaceful. Cinder continued to smile as she pet her tattooed leg. They were glowing again, not that it mattered out here. Nobody could see her up here. A sound to her left sent her searching, only to feel the familiar point of Alura's leg against her thigh. She chuckled softly and held out her hand to the spider. It crawled onto the palm of her hand and snuggled there. A tear was brought to her eye. Alura is a bit like Rhys, if I'm being honest, she thought to herself. It was true. Alura cared about her and went about telling her that in... awkward ways. Alongside that, they're spawn of 'friendship' had been... strange, needless to say. Alura perked up for a moment before scuttling away quickly. Cinder watched the spider run off.

She sat her head on her knees and gazed out at the desert. Nothing much was happening, but she knew this was better. This was her place. Most people would consider their place somewhere sacred to their religion or, hell, their bedroom, apartment, garden. Nope. Cinder's place was the roof. But sometimes, when she retreated to the roof on the extraordinarily rare occasion, it still wasn't right. Nowhere seemed right for her after all these years. She closed her eyes and began to remember.

Silent Cove. The shire. Home. Where Maria and Danika and Johnny and Molly and Tanya and Isaac and Cinder all belonged. The place where everything was alright. The place where she somehow felt safe, even with mother and father there. The place where Benson had made another scar for her. The place where Maria was murdered. The place that was destroyed when she was thirteen. The place she couldn't save... She wiped tears from her face and played with the hem of her top. Silent Cove had been home once... But it was gone now. It was only scrap wood and ashes now. A pile of cinders that was left behind by Vault Hunters.

A shout distracted Cinder. Someone had called for her. She didn't know who, but she had heard her name. She knew it. But she didn't move. It wasn't worth it. She would move later, realising how long it had been. But she would only move then.

*

"What the fuck? What the actual fuck?!" Rhys yelled, throwing the sheets aside. He nearly slammed into the door with the speed at which he moved. A rhythmic spasm pulsed through his head as he threw the door open. "CINDER!!" He screamed with no knowledge of it. He had to tell her. What she may say about him didn't matter anymore. After everything she had done for him, she probably wouldn't want to hear it, but he HAD to tell her. It had been far too vivid this time. He couldn't just tell Cindy. He needed to tell Cinder.

Without much agility, he shot through the hallway and flung open the door to the break room. Danika and Johnny were nowhere to be seen. Good. Tripping over the lounge in the process, he made it to Cinder's room. But as he open nearly kicked down the door, he realised she still wasn't there. His tattoos ached as tears brimmed in his eyes. He could feel Cindy prodding his foot, wanting to comfort him, but he couldn't bring himself to pick up the creature. He wandered over to her bed and sat down, shaking his head. He began to murmur to himself. "How did I hear you? I... You were singing and... I- I swear to god..." He physically couldn't muster full sentences, but the gist of his words were clear.

He had seen so much more than the dream that had made him meet Cindy. There was so much more than that. And it had made... somewhat sense of that other dream. There had been a group of people. He recognised most of the people. He had seen himself, Cinder, Fiona, Sasha and Vaughn. His friends. But there had been others there too. A girl only a year or two older than Cinder with vibrant red hair, one green and one purple eye and a symbol burnt into the purple eye. There had also been two young teenage girls; one had a black fedora, a green choker and a good sense of style in her outfit, while the other had a much scruffier Stetson, somehow not broken glasses and an untamed mane of crappy, light brunette locks. They had all been fighting a group of bandits for a time. 

His forced recount of the dream was halted as he heard a peculiar sound. He looked over at the night stand and saw Cindy poking a framed photo. He reached over and picked it up carefully... and choked back sobs as he saw what the photo was of. His ECHO eye went insane, deciphering one of the people in the picture and as it collected more and more data, he was brought closer to tears. It was a picture of Cinder as a child, with her sister. His eye told him that her name was Maria Forest. She was nine when the picture was taken and died at the mere age of ten. She was murdered in cold blood by a Psycho named Benson Shroud. But there was something else. There was something about Cinder. But when he saw it he began to cry... and didn't try to stop himself anymore.

He stood and put the picture back where it belonged, wiping tears from his reddened face. He made a mental note; find out the truth. Cinder had claimed she got those tattoos when she was a teenager, only four years ago. The picture said she was six. She and the tattoos in the picture. Something wasn't right. He couldn't say he knew Cinder enough to say he knew she wouldn't lie, but maybe, he could try to get to know her and, maybe, he could find out the truth. Maybe try to help her. Even if she turned out to be a Siren, there were things going on behind the scenes that not even ECHO could tell him. He was determined to find out what. He was determined to help. And if it meant annoying the shit out of her even more to become her friend, he would do it.

There was a sound above him and he sprinted out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. But he knew what he was going to do the next time her saw her. The dream was no longer in his mind. That shit could go rot in a hole for a while. He had a plan... and he wasn't going to let this get in the way.

*

"What I'm saying is; they're going to rebel one day and get their knees back."

"They have knees, Rhys." As she said that he stopped talking and paused, a very confused expression on his face.

"Wait... you're telling me... that penguins... actually have knees?" He said, making various hand gestures in the process.

"Yes. And it won't be the penguins rebelling against humanity, it'll be turtles. If you tape two together, shell to shell, they make the ultimate weapon." It was as if he couldn't hear her. Tears were literally in his eyes as he yelled,

"HOW COME NOBODY EVER TOLD ME THIS BEFORE?! I WAS LIED TO!! THEY SAID PENGUINS DONT HAVE KNEES!!" He screamed angrily.

"Such a tragedy." She murmured to herself, a hand to her chest, as if saying a prayer. 

"I hate you, you know that right?" He asked through a stiff glare. She chuckled softly.

"Tell me something I don't already know." She murmured. He continued to glare at her with an ice cold stare. She smiled wonkily and raised an eyebrow. Before long, he was smiling himself. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, leaning back on the bed.

"But seriously, I was lied to." He said with that million dollar smirk. She lay back beside him, her hair a mess of black, frolicking wild behind her.

"But seriously, the turtles will reign supreme someday." She chuckled and couldn't hide the smile on her face as he laughed heartily. 

Apparently, getting to know Cinder didn't mean annoying her a whole lot. Turns out, the best way to get to her is to strike up a conversation about the most random of bullshit ever. She might tell you to go away at first, but if you can keep it going, well... let's just say, you're the one who's gonna have to break it up. His topic for the day had been the majestic creatures known as penguins - native to the foreign 'Earth' where humans originally came from. Rhys knew it was going to be a while before he could pry what he wanted to know from her, but this was good enough for him... for now at least. Lying beside her, on her bed talking about the narwhal revolution of 2017 all those years back was fine for now.

Without much thought, Rhys managed to make an extremely well placed pun, followed by an innuendo... He didn't think he could make someone laugh as much as Cinder did after that. He laughed with her, but quiet enough to hear her more than himself. It was nice to hear her happy for once. It was rare these days... His face grew bright red and he hugged himself slightly. She was seeming more of a good person as each day passed and... God, she was beautiful. 

*

Cindy somehow managed to look disapproving. "I'm serious, Cindy!" The spider rolled her many eyes at him and folded two of her front legs. He sighed and cursed himself. "No... no. You don't like her, Rhys. No you don't. No. You don't like Cinder at all. Nope." He sat down beside the spider and fell backwards against his bed. "Oh, who am I kidding?! I like her." Cindy nodded her purple head at him. He glared in her direction. "If you tell anyone of this, I will disown you, you..."


	7. Getting there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relationship progress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALTERNATE TITLE: OMG FLUFF CHAPTER WITH REALLY RANDOM MOMENTS
> 
> Sorry it's been so long guys, but the wait might have to be a bit longer before I can update. School just started again, so I have barely any time to write anymore. Chapter 8 might be a bit less than a week to come out, but meh.
> 
> Questions: are any readers here at Stay for the Sirens actually enjoying the story? Probably not. Like I said earlier, the story drags for the first bit. But I promise, Part 2 will be way better and much more fun to read (we're gonna introduce some new characters and, long story shortened out for this summary here, the story gets more story to it). 
> 
> But this chapter marks the end of Part 1 of Stay for the Sirens. Allies by blood has been completed and Part 2 - Running with wagers - will begin with Chaper 8.
> 
> Enjoy!

Ok. So getting to know Cinder was harder than Rhys first anticipated. He already thought it was going to be difficult and a few conversations together hadn't been bad at all, but since he suddenly realised 'shit I think I'm in love with her' he found it harder to talk to her - as expected of anyone who had suddenly become love struck for one of their closer friends. Mostly because one slip up could ruin everything or accidentally dropping hints could lead to her finding out and possibly rejecting his feelings. He hoped those things wouldn't happen.

It wasn't like he was going to plan what he talked to her about. He could have made a plan, like he had done successfully many times beforehand, but, in truth, do plans really ever stick to the plan? Rarely. It's more likely to skew off somewhere you didn't even consider and then you realise, shit, I'm screwed. It's because of this that Rhys decided to not make a plan. He knew winging it was risky too, but, eh. Cinder was already convinced he was insane, so... no real harm can be made here... right? Guess he would find out.

He could barely talk to her though. Her job of running the Inn had kicked back up in the last two weeks so she was working full time again and so were Danika and Johnny. She had no time to talk when she was sorting out payments with useless customers like himself, writing out tables of information crucial to keeping Epsilon Inn open or trying to get assignments done at the front desk. Apparently her school was savage with the amount of work they handed out to students. So... if she's at the front desk, she doesn't have time for you, Rhys. Ok then. Some other time.

When she's in her room is a better time, but most of the time, she's already doing something else. Helping him make some gun prototypes, writing essays or simply reading. She was usually doing something in her 'downtime'. He always felt like he was intruding, though he obviously didn't show it. Or maybe he did, he didn't know.

*

"Are you seriously reading those books all the time?" Rhys asked with disgust as he saw what Cinder was doing. She glared up at him because 1) he had let himself in without even knocking and 2) was that his thoughts on this? Really?

"Only when I can, idjit. If not this, I'll be doing, you know, my job or... gee, I dunno, schoolwork." She said, sliding the bookmark into place with angst. He sat on the opposite side of the bed to hers.

"But you spend ALL your downtime with fiction. You know, people who don't exist. It's unnatural. Why not talk to real people for a change." He said, his hand falling dramatically over his face with his words.

"Says the nerd who got a job on Hyperion. And look at that, I'm talking to a real person. I'm talking to you. Not enjoying it, but it's still talking to a real person" Cinder said with a sly smirk. He glared at her, but then continued with a grim tone.

"You know, my old best friend was obsessed with this TV show about this alien that traveled through time in a blue box or something - I dunno I never really paid much attention to it - but he got way too attached to the characters and... you should have seen him. Instead of reading, he wrote stories about those characters. Made alternate universes and put them there. He even" Rhys stopped and gestured with the next word, "'shipped' some of the characters." He shrugged. "Weird, but, whatever I guess."

"And this matters why?" Cinder asked with a sassy tone. He turned to her, but he didn't say anything. He looked as though the words were trying to escape, but he was holding them back. His face grew pink for a second, but to hide it, he lurched forward and ripped the book from Cinder's hands. "Hey!" She yelled in protest, leaning over to him to grasp it back. But he was took quick, already standing up and getting away from her. Cinder jumped off the bed and reached upwards to where he held the book, but he simply lifted one leg. "Why are your legs so freaking... LONG?" Cinder yelled in confusion as she continued to grab for the book. Snarling all the while, Cinder pushed his leg away and leaped at him, reaching as far as she found possible for the book. But, fuck, their height difference suddenly mattered.

Cinder clawed at his face ravenously in an attempt to distract him, maybe get him to drop the book, but it was dealing no damage. Shit. This wasn't working. She stamped on his foot instead.

"OH MY GOD!" Rhys yelled in pain, dropping the book. Cinder gasped as it fell and launched at it, practically tackling it. A spider with purple fur shook its head at the two of them. Cinder pointed at the spider on her dresser and said in a very punishing tone,

"None of your spider friends will ever hear of this, Alura." She stopped and took a moment to breathe. "And stop judging me." She followed up as she stood. Rhys had finally stopped cradling his damaged foot and was now glaring at Cinder and the book in her hands. Cinder glanced down at it and murmured," oh shit". He flew towards her, groping for the book once again. Cinder leaped onto the bed and curled into a ball, growling as he tried to get to her. He lightly punched her in the back to bribe her and, well... she fell for it. Her elbow flew out towards him and he grabbed it swiftly. He pulled her arm back so her position would be unfurled and he could grab the book.

As he did so, she lurched forward and attempted to regain composure, only to have him fall on top of her. She scrambled out from underneath him and fell face first at the ground. One face plant later, she was crawling commando style away from the bed. Rhys reached out to grab her ankle only to fail miserably. Cinder mused happily as she crawled away, book still in hand. There was a sharp growl behind her and she glanced back momentarily. Rhys leaped off the bed at her.

Cinder tried to escape him by standing up, but that was a bad idea... a really bad idea. A terrible idea in fact. Because you have someone who had no coordination at all jumping at another human being and someone who can't stand up quickly. The result is the uncoordinated person landing in top of the other person with a painful thud. In an extremely awkward position. And they stayed there, awkwardly staring each other in the eyes, faces red. Cinder held her breathe, for panting while in this position would be the worst thing to do, even if she needed to breathe after jumping all over her room. She clutched the book close to her chest.

"You can get off me any time." Cinder said as she reverted her gaze from him. His face grew brighter red and he immediately moved away, curling up slightly on the floor in embarrassment. "What was the point of that?" 

"Human interaction. You read too much. I needed to get rid of the book."

"You could have just said that in the first place."

"Well, I didn't feel like it." Cinder huffed before replying further.

"Tell me something I don't already know."

*

Cinder was confused at the equation before her. What? Did? It? Mean?! She chewed her pencil in frustration and anxiously ran her fingers through her hair. Her tie was once again tight around her neck and she hated the feeling of it. She didn't even know why she kept it on with the rest of her uniform. She didn't need to wear it at... the Inn. She shook her head. This wasn't home. Nowhere was home anymore. But, her problem at hand was that she had no idea what two thirds of x was supposed to be. Danika would be even more confused, Johnny would write a random number and tell her that was the answer even if it wasn't at all correct. It would just be weird to ask any of the customers for help...

She sighed and threw down her pencil. She wanted to do ANY other homework - Maths sucked and she just could find the motivation anymore. This 'find the sum of two thirds of the x value and then freaking divide it by twelve to get some other value to do something else' bullshit was just stupid and brain melting. IT, she had concepted and made her prototype already. Chemistry, had done her EEI already. Modern History, she had already presented her essay on the fall of Atlas. English, she had submitted her speech via email already. Inter-planetary studies, had done her information report on Elpis culture. Everything she needed done had been done already. All that remained was this stupid Mathematics assignment. Cinder groaned loudly.

She cursed as her bedroom door opened and Rhys appeared. Oh good. Oh fucking wonderful. Now she had to deal with this guy. Again. He spoke in that narcissistic tone that annoyed her SO much, but she mustered a smile, as unconvincing as it was.

"And you're wearing that again? Shame." He said, adjusting his collar with sass. Her face fell and she stood. Cinder stood up for the sole purpose of slapping him and succeeded fitfully, sitting back down once finished her task. Rhys rubbed his face where she had hit and groaned slightly. "Now, is it possible for you to not hit me when I talk to you?" He asked defensively. Cinder remarked him as an absolute pussy in her opinion and replied.

"I dunno. Is it possible for you to not be a jerk whenever you talk to me?" She asked, snapping her fingers in a Z shape. He glared back at her and folded his arms, but didn't reply. She smirked. She had him stumped. And that meant she was victorious.

"I mean, it could be possible. But that would be boring, wouldn't it?"

"It would also be 'no need for me to hit you' as well, wouldn't it?" 

"Oh, shut up."

"Make me bitch." She said finally with a grand smile. He squinted at her, but said no much more. He leant against the wall and looked around the room, his eyes eventually falling on the picture on her bedside. He walked forward slowly and cautiously, approaching the small table. Upon arrival, he picked up the photo carefully. Cinder attempted to ignore him, but obviously failed when she said, "She was nine and I was six when that picture was taken. By the old Oak outside the shire." He turned to her with a slightly pained expression - one that Cinder avoided meeting with her own face.

"I'm guessing you two were close?" He asked, his voice strained slightly.

"God, she was my whole world." Cinder said as she lay back against her pillow. "Close is an understatement, dude." Rhys glanced back down at the photo in his hands with a pained look. He set it down gently and sat down on the bed, avoiding the book Cinder still had sitting out.

"I'm listening." He said almost silently as he ran his fingers through his tangled hair. She looked nothing in particular.

"Why and what do you want to know?" 

"Uhh, why is because I'm curious. And what, I dunno, what was she like, what you were like around her. Maybe I can see if you actually care about anyone."

"Well, to start off, I do care about people. I care about Danika and I care about Johnny cause he's dating Danika and if he does anything to her I'll hurt him. I care about you too." She regretted that sentence a soon as it escaped her mouth. But how could she cover that up. Rhys's head snapped in her direction and he smirked slightly.

"Um, what was that?" Cinder's face went bright red.

"I mean, I kind of have to care about you since, I mean, how much help do you need from me on an almost daily basis?" She stumbled out, receiving a confused look in return. She continued "I mean, it's like, I expect you'll want help for something or another, so I guess, that's kind of like caring. I don't care about you as in... like Danika or-"

"Look, i get it; you care. I don't think I'll ever believe it, but ok. What about your sister?" Cinder was about to continue when she stopped.

"I never told you she was my sister..." He froze.

"I... made the inference. You two do look similar." He stumbled out, gulping as soon as he stopped talking. Cinder looked away and hugged her legs close to her body.

"Did... look similar. Not any more though. Not for at least eleven years now." His face dropped as she sighed. "Most of my time at home wasn't the best. There were lots of restrictions and up until I was five, I wasn't allowed to leave the house. Maria was like a salvation for me. She helped me through it all. On top of general sisterly love, she was really my only friend." Rhys snorted. "I'm being serious!" He chuckled.

"I know. I know, it's just... you're THAT bad at making friends that not even other five year olds liked you?" She snickered at that.

"It's true. My people skills of now have lasted my lifetime." He laughed at that and she couldn't help but laugh too. "I was only a 'nice' person around Maria though. The shire boys weren't the nicest themselves and they liked to play rough. What I mean by rough was they would tackle you in the street and pin you down and wouldn't move off unless you got them off." She exhaled slightly. "So I always gave them a show. If they got me, I would almost instinctively get them back. Usually it would end up beating them up." Rhys snickered a bit too loud. "Think I'm being funny?"

"I'm just imagining the you in the picture beating the crap out of a guy almost twice your size." She chuckled.

"Well, that's how it was. I wasn't the nice girl. I was the savage that would get you the fuck back!" She punched her own hand and made a sleazy smile. Rhys snorted and tried his best to hold back laughter. "My relationship with other girls though. Man. You think I'm sassy now, dude. Think again." She took off her headband and adjusted her fringe to be tucked behind here ear in a very prim manor. She placed the headband back in and stood up. She took the hem of her skirt and began to speak again in a mock 'rich girl' voice. You know the kind. The voice of a spoiled brat who constantly tells you that her 'daddy can sue you for saying that to me' with almost every word you say, be it to her, yourself or the police when your reporting her for doing underage acts.

"Oh look. If it isn't Cinder. You know," she used her hand to mockly imitate a fan, "if you didn't always wear dregs of cotton, you might actually look like the trashcan and not like landfill." Cinder removed her hairband and played with her fringe to instead be hanging completely over her right eye, like it was in the photo. As she spoke again, it was her speaking, not an imitation.

"Oh Jennifer. If only..." She switched back to the bitchy girl voice. "If only what?" Back to her own voice. "If only you knew nobody cared about your opinion. And don't try to say I'm adopted again because, frankly, I'm not and they still care about me. Your parents are stuck with you." She snapped her fingers in a Z shape and Rhys couldn't hold back the laughter. Cinder laughed with him, but at her own misfortune in that sentence.

"SAVAGE!" He yelled, pointing at her.

"Maria, Jenny and her bitch friend, Chelsea thought so too!" She high fived him and sat back down, both of them in a fit of laughter. 'This is who I'm in love with... she's perfect' Rhys thought as she continued to talk about all the savage insults she used on the other girls in 'The Shire'.

*

"I don't understand. What's the difference? They're both dragons!" Rhys said in confusion.

"Drakes are flightless! It's not that hard to understand!" Cinder yelled back in frustration. Rhys flinched, expecting a hit to come flying at this face and instead heard Cinder snort. "Wow."

"Shut up, it's your fault. You hit me that much." Cinder made an 'mm hmm' noise as she chocked back a laugh. 

"Yeah... right." She murmured and he glared at her sharply. Rolling her eyes, Cinder continued. "Then there were the Wyverns tha-"

"Let me guess, have no limbs, but can fly?"

"Have two wings and two legs and were the most common, actually. Genria was plagued by them at some points in time, but now they're really rare."

"How do you know all this?"

"Inter-planetary studies. We're learning about some of the closest planets but also some of the further out ones too. Next unit is supposed to be focused on Earth, but right now, Genria."

"Oh, ok. So they have dragons there." 

"Essentially, yes. And they have wars with the humans living there. It's a fun planet."

"I know you were being sarcastic, but that's actually true. It sounds more fun than here at least. We're just stuck with Skags that run after you and... maul you to death and Rakks that can pick you out of the sky at any moment." Cinder nodded in agreement. It was at that moment that Danika interrupted.

"SINFUL!!" Danika screamed as the door slammed open and she ran over to where Cinder and Rhys were sitting together. She had a small crocodile in her arms. She placed the croc into Cinder's arms and mumbled to herself, reaching for something on the bar counter. She grabbed and it flew back to the door, before she turned back to them. "Don't let them nut girls know about this... that brown haired one'll kill me." She said before sprinting out the room and slamming the door behind her.

"What time is it?"

"10:09. At Epsilon, the bullshit doesn't sleep. This is nothing." Cinder replied, gesturing to the crocodile in her arms with the last sentence. She looked down upon the scaled creature with annoyance. "Your name is Jimmy-bob now." She said, lifting the creature dramatically under the light. Both of them snickered.

"So... who are the nut girls?"

"I have no idea." Cinder watched as Alura crawled up the side of the bar-fridge sluggishly. It was amusing, to be honest. There was a shout from outside the Inn, which was quickly followed by a distant squeal from Danika. Rhys snorted at the sound, but Cinder didn't react much. Like she said, at Epsilon, the bullshit doesn't sleep.

*

Cinder woke in a cold sweat, her tattoos glowing and her breathing ragged. She was hyperventilating and her mind was moving far too fast for her to comprehend. What the fuck had her brain just done to her? By far the worst dream she had ever experienced, her past, present and future has become one large, complicated and terrifying nightmare. It was so vivid, she felt as though they were still with her - she could practically feel that damned man's hands still on her skin. She tried to breathe through the pain that was now punishing her left side, but it was no use. Her mind was not helping. Her yearn to tell someone was growing by he second... She had to tell him.

She tossed her sheets aside, ignored Alura's presence by her feet and walked straight out of her room, through the door, carefully through the break room so as not to wake up Danika or Johnny in their respective rooms and out that door into the hallway. The long hallway with its wall covered in doors leading to different rooms. She sped up her pace, almost running, making it to the end of the hallway and facing the door of the dining area, but she ignored it. Coffee wouldn't answer this - plus it would probably wake someone up if she started trying to get mugs and shit working in the middle of the night. Instead, she turned to the door of Room 1 and knocked. She waited a moment, listening intently for any movement in the room. Light was filtering vaguely in the crack of the door, so she assumed he was still awake. She heard someone walk over and the doorknob spin before her sight registered someone had opened the door.

"Cinder? What are you-"

"I need to talk to you, Rhys." She said with a set expression. Rhys rubbed sleep from his eyes and gave her a confused expression.

"But you never WANT to talk. I always invade on your private time and force you to talk to me. Why would you want to now?"

"It's not that I want to, alright? Just..." She took a deep breath. "Have you ever had a nightmare?" He froze and nodded silently. "You know the feeling you get when you wake up? How you just want to get it off your chest and tell someone because you can't just scream?" 

"I know exactly how that feels, Cinder." He said, remembering the dream he had over two weeks ago; that one that had him sprint out of his room to find Cinder and tell her. At least now, Cinder had him to talk to, he hadn't told anyone. Apart from Cindy. He told her eventually. He further opened the door of his room and gestured for her to come in. She stepped into the room and felt a slight nostalgia for it. She remembered back to when this was an Atlas camp and the Inn hadn't been so big and there had been buildings around it. She chuckled at that internally. That had been when she was seven. It had stayed that way until she was fourteen. Now she had an Inn and had owned it for over five years. 

Rhys cleared some papers from his bed and placed them aside. A purple spider emerged from beneath the bed and organised them more. Cinder was surprised to see Alura here, but she guessed it was because she was here. That's what it was. She sat at the edge of the bed beside him and took a deep breath. She wasn't really prepared to say everything. She wanted to trust him and in her room it had seemed like such a good idea, but now... it seemed weird. She remembered the night she saw the beacon. She didn't know why she did it, but it had led her to find and help Rhys. She had trusted her instincts then. She could trust her instincts now.

"These people in masks had me kidnapped and they knocked me out. When I woke up, there were all these people I don't recognise chained up and sleeping. The people in the masks then grabbed them and woke them and started torturing them. It was inhumane, even on people I don't know." She was sweating and her voice was shaking violently.

"Do you remember who was there?" Rhys asked in concern.

"Maria was there. Danika and Johnny were too. I think Molly was there. Fiona was, I'm pretty sure. You were too. But then there were these people I don't recognise, but I think I've dreamed about them before."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I once dreamed about these symbolic things and these people matched perfectly with those things." Rhys nodded.

"Go on."

"One of the things I saw was a blue scarf and this guy was wearing that same scarf. A pair of weird looking goggles, another girl had them. A choker with an emerald, a short, blonde teenager was wearing it. I also saw a Stetson hat, one of them was wearing a Stetson hat. The last one had red hair and the slag symbol burnt into one eye... in that other dream I saw locks of red hair and a slag barrel..." She trailed off, but forced herself to continue. "Even for people I don't know, what those people did was just..." She was on the brink of crying.

"What did they do?" He asked anxiously, but Cinder didn't answer. She knew some thing Rhys didn't. The methods they had used on everyone... had been used on her in the past. She began to describe a few things; the burning with coal, the slicing of the skin and salting of the wound, the forced self harm after relentless oppression, the slavery. She trailed off again as sobs bubbled in her throat. By instinct, Rhys reached over and hugged the girl. He could understand why would she would need to tell some one. And then she asked a question. "Am I going insane?"

"That doesn't matter..." He sighed. "What matters is that it didn't really happen. None of them were hurt, Cinder." She hugged him closer and wished it were true. She wished nobody had been hurt. She thought of her tattoos and their scars.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise."

"But I made you hear that. Rhys, I literally made you listen to what my brain did, which was torture innocent people... including you." The last words were uttered to herself almost silently.

"That's not something you keep to yourself, Cinder." He said, gently petting her hair. She sniffed. 

"Thank you. I DID need to tell someone... and you listened." She said as she pulled away from the hug, rubbing her stinging eyes.

"You're welcome but... why did you come to me?"

"I'm not sure. It's just, I would have told Maria when I was younger and she would have comforted me, but she's gone now. If I told Johnny he would call me crazy. If I told Molly, she would try to analyse what the dream meant and all sorts of crap. Danika would make a scene about it and wouldn't help. I just sorta... thought you would listen and not try to give advice or analyse. I figured... you would just... listen and tell me it's all ok now and... and I was right." She said with a smile. He returned the smile and blushed slightly.

"Well, I should go now." She said standing up. She made her way over to the door, but with her hand on the doorknob, she couldn't muster the will to open the door and leave. She just stood there, as if waiting for something. But nothing came and she just stood there awkwardly, hand on the doorknob. Rhys stared at the back of her head for a while before speaking with hesitation.

"If you want, you can... stay here for the rest of the night. There's only a few hours of night left anyway." He said, his face going very red. Cindy looked up at him with a startled expression from where she still sat on the papers and he glared down at the spider. Cinder turned around, her face pink and her hands cupped over her cheeks. She looked slightly ashamed, but she spoke anyway.

"If... if that's alright with you. I mean, I don't want to invade."

"Cinder, I invade your room almost every day and force you to spend time with me. This once is getting back at me for all those times." She smirked and walked back over.

"This doesn't make up for it." 

"No it doesn't. But you put up with me, so I'll put up with you." He said with a smirk. He pushed the sheets aside and got under them comfortably and gestured to her. She got in beside him, her face going bright red. She pulled the covers up around her and shifted closer to him. Rhys reached over and turned off the lamp, before finding a comfortable position - there wasn't much room on the bed for two people. 

"Why is your arm so cold?"

"It's made of metal."

"Oh yeah, sorry..." She hesitated on what she wanted to say and choked it back. Instead, she huddled closer to him. She felt his cold arm wrap around her, but she felt a strange comfort in it. As she tried to fall into rest, her mind was aware of something she would be thankful for; she didn't tell him EVERYTHING. He never heard the end of it. He didn't hear some of the more so important details. But if he had... Cinder decided not think further on. Her eyes fluttered closed. It wasn't long before both of them were asleep.

*

Cinder woke up at 6:30 by habit now. No need for an alarm. She woke up in an unfamiliar place... she was in Room 1. She had just been sleeping with someone. Oh yeah. That had happened. She sat up carefully as not to wake Rhys and glanced around the room. It was weird not seeing her own belongings. She lay back again and took a deep breath. Then she recollected. She remembered the dream. She shivered to think of it and her tattoos pulsed at the mere thought of it.

And then she remembered how willing Rhys had been to listen to her. And how when she had awkwardly stood at the door like a dork, unable to move, he offered to let her stay for the rest of the night. And how he had taken to her talking about literal torture that had taken place on people she didn't know and on people she cared about and... She smiled to herself. God, she didn't know what she had expected when she left her room earlier that morning, but it wasn't like how things had went. She hadn't expected something like that. She wouldn't admit it, but she was extremely grateful for what he had done.

She looked over at his peaceful, sleeping face and blushed intensely. Without hesitation she leaned over to him and kissed his cheek. She pulled away from him with a smile and whispered almost silently "Thank you, Rhys." Carefully, she pushed the sheets away and stood up. With haste she left the room, a stupid grin on her face. Alura was going to think her a fool and was going to tell it to her straight, but she didn't care. Cinder swore herself to secrecy that nobody would ever find out about that night.

As she entered her own room and began to get dressed, Alura scuttled over to her and began gesturing at her with four legs, in an utter frustration. "No, I know, Alura. I don't like him like that. He's gonna have to try harder than that..." She spider looked so done with her shit. "WHAT?! Yeah, he's a nice guy, but..." She stopped and gestured at nothing. "Hello! Since when have I had a crush on someone before, Alura? This certainly won't be one of them." She said with determination as she pulled on her trench coat. "He's not the right one for me." She flicked her wrist at the purple creature and left her bedroom, ready for a fucking amazing cup of coffee. She was thinking a double shot. As she walked she blurted out in a quiet voice, "oh who am I kidding, he's gorgeous and we trust each other and..." she sighed. "No Cinder. Don't say your in love."


	8. Thinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As life goes on, you can't help but think. Think about what - it doesn't matter. Your thoughts are your own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol this shit is still being written, yes it is. My... *math equations* six readers. Damn. I'm sorry for the six of you. You read this shit... I can't tell if you enjoy it or if you're just reading it to read something.
> 
> Why he hell you still here? This story isn't getting much better. Wait until chapter 11 or so... I mean... it might get better...
> 
> This is a short chapter but it makes up for whatever the hell last chapter was

Despite what Cinder wanted, she knew Rhys would have to go back to Atlas eventually. It was his responsibility in owning a company, but still, she wished he could have stayed longer. She had actually become used to him intruding in on her schoolwork to talk about random things. She had actually become used to hearing his self-congratulating jokes and narcissistic tone. She had actually become used to him in general. And it saddened her to see him go... until he didn't pay everything he fucking owed.

"Im not cheating you out of money here! This counts for the clothes and the room fees!"

"And you expected me to have that much?!"

"Did you seriously expect me to expect that?"

"N- wait... What?"

That had pretty much been the end of their conversation. But even with their argument, Cinder still managed to feel upset. But she had the feeling it wouldn't be too long before he showed up again. After all, when she had thought he was gone for good, what had he done? Showed up, begging for help. The only thing she hoped was that when he returned, he wouldn't be wanting help again. At least give her that luxury.

*

Months had passed. Many months, in fact. Cinder wasn't sure how many, but she knew many months had passed. With the Inn back in full business and all her schoolwork on top of that, it wasn't hard to lose herself in the time. It became a blank slate and her old routine she had had just under a year ago was resurrected. Her addiction to coffee raised itself to extreme. Essentially, Cinder became clockwork; a seemingly never ending cycle that couldn't be escaped. She only attended school on certain days of the week and they were always the same days. She only slept so many hours a day and it was always the same amount of hours. She only drank coffee at certain times of day, at which was the same time every day. At this point in the future, the author simply cannot fathom why Cinder became such a husk after Rhys left and, in the author's defence, she never specified why. 

It could have been that, well... her gut feeling that Rhys would return soon had been incorrect. Like stated, it had been many a months since.

It was in one of these days that it was all shattered. At first, the day seemed exactly like every other day; calculated and unchanging. Nothing special happened as she put on her skirt and adjusted her tie in the mirror. Nothing changed from the normal as she, Danika and Johnny took their vehicles to school. Nothing interesting occurred as they waited for the first bell to signify their classes. But then, it happened. That never used PA system booted up and began listing names, instructing those people to go to the hall for... graduation information. In no particular order, the following names were listed: Genise Lenbecker, Percy Ball, Jackson Memory, Danika Lucifer, Ebonie and Opal Tyler, Cinder Forest, Mark Quad and Johnny Carlsberg. 

For all three of the Inn staff to hear their names listed for graduation... It was more than just a surprise. Firstly, all of them had started the final grade at different times and somehow, they were all graduating together in the same year. That was what surprised Danika and Johnny at least, however, Cinder's reaction was for a very different reason. Finally... she would finally get out of here. As the three made their way, they were silent, leaving each other to their own thoughts.

Upon arrival, everyone noticed how little people made it this year. As in, there was nine of them... the yearly average was sixteen. Almost instantly, the males began asking whatever girl they found most attractive to be their date for the formal - out of the group of course, nobody else was allowed to be part of it, only family and the closest of friends (they always ended up ruling out the whole friends part of it). Johnny made a scene of asking Danika - though they were already in a healthy relationship - and had even teachers awing at them. Cinder paid little attention to what was going on around her because she knew if anyone here had the balls to ask HER of all people, she would end up saying no. Except for Percy maybe, but he asked Opal. It came as no surprise to Cinder when she ended up the only one there who wasn't paired up. Odd numbers always made for some fun and, hell, she couldn't give a shit anyway.

A short info session later, the nine were left to talk amongst themselves about everything. Of course, Genise was making it all about her, saying she would make a speech about her struggles and that receiving the school award wouldn't be a stretch. Even Mark - her date - was rolling his eyes at that. Eventually, the plan was made; upon receiving diploma, the student would make a short speech and then leave the stage. They would later be welcomed back for photos or something along those lines and then the party would commence. Everyone was expected to make plans with their families by themselves. Everyone nodded at that, but Cinder felt slightly worried about inviting her mother and father along. She wouldn't let anyone know this, of course, but the fact still remained - she couldn't just skirt around this one like she usually did. 

Then, much to every man's unholy boredom, the girls began talking about outfits. This wasn't just something you could show up to in an old pair jeans and a t-shirt. No; this required more than that. Once again, Genise stole the show by describing her dress in intricate detail and very quickly the rest of the girls were out of it. Way to kill the mood, Genise. Danika began taking over Genise about her dress, but Cinder literally lay back down and tuned out. She didn't really care. Cinder knew she could make her own dress and it certainly wouldn't be anything too special. Of course, this would be to the disgust of her parents and friends, but most other people wouldn't give any more than one crap.

*

Graduation day almost two weeks later. Cinder stood under the water of her shower head, running her fingers through her tangled hair, her mind wandering into all sorts of strange places. She didn't really feel ready graduate honestly. But it wasn't really leaving school that was worrying her. No. It was how her parents would react when they arrived to pick her up. She shivered despite the hot water and accidentally tore out a small chunk of hair. Shit. That wasn't supposed to happen. As she continued to wash her hair as best she could, she tuned into her thoughts a lot more. 

She thought of Danika. She thought of Johnny. She thought of their strange way of becoming friends. She thought back to when the Inn wasn't an Inn. She thought of nothing. She thought of guns. She thought of Bounty Hunting. She thought of abuse. She thought about secrets. She thought about dreams. She thought about Rhys. She though about sleepless nights. She thought about the roof. She thought about Skags. She thought about Alura. She thought about the beginning of that year. She thought about what things were like a year ago. She thought about the truth. She thought about lies. She thought about liars. She thought about Fiona. She though about that night. She thought about Rhys. 

Turning the shower off, Cinder felt overwhelmingly clean. This was a rare occurrence. Nearly tripping over and a long chain of swearing later, she was dried off for the most part and half dressed. She still needed to put on her dress. She stared at it, hanging up in the doorway. She still couldn't believe it was her who had made it. She still couldn't believe she was going to wear it. Slowly, she removed it from the hanger and fiddled with it. It took a few tries, but soon, she was wearing it. Cinder stared in the mirror at her disbelieving reflection. For somebody who never looked good, she was looking fine.

Twenty minutes later, her makeup had been applied, her hair was tied royally and she could hear fuss in the break room. No doubt, Mrs. Lucifer had arrived and was swooning over her daughter. With a smile, Cinder pushed open the bathroom door and ignored the mess of her room and made for the break room door. Upon opening it, she found she had been correct. Danika and Johnny stood, both looking extremely uncomfortable as both of their parents took many photos and swooned over them. Johnny's father and mother weren't as insane as Mrs. Lucifer, but it was still amusing to see their faces. She stood back was a smug smile and watched the show.

Danika was wearing a steampunk style dress and thigh high boots. A black fedora sat atop her head and her lips were painted a vibrant with red - it was a wonderful combo and suited her perfectly. Johnny stood in a formal shirt and pants that looked like what you would wear to a funeral, but, setting that aside, he looked pretty good. Cinder compared it to herself. A strapless black top and a floor length multicoloured skirt that was an intricate blend of pastel purples and indigos. It was a nothing more than that for a while... Until Danika's mother saw her.

"My dear! Cinder, look at you! So much different from the young rebel in the cove!" She exclaimed, making her way over to hug Cinder. As much as she made out to hate it, Cinder enjoyed Mrs. Lucifer's enthusiasm and worry for her and she enjoyed that she was... Well, more of a mother than her own. But obviously overreacting to someone was genetic, because as soon as Danika saw her friend, she was a squealing mess. And on top of that, apparently the Carlsburg family was notorious for not saying much. Even Molly wasn't talking. They still looked impressed, however.

*

"Get in the car." Was all Mitchell had to say when Cinder walked out to the door. Her mother sneered and remarked her dress 'appalling' and turned back to her device. Cinder did as she was told and sat in the backseat. The ride to the school was awkward and silent and Cinder wished on every star she had seen while on the roof that SOMEONE was sitting beside her that she could talk to... But nobody was there. A fear began to boil within her. What if they did something to her? They wouldn't around other people, would they? She prayed they wouldn't do anything.

A short time later, they had arrived and all got out of the car. The Lucifers and Carlsburgs were there, as well as the Tylers, but the rest were still on their way. Cinder felt out of place wit her parents. Everyone else was chatting happily, whereas herself and her family were just... standing together, sharing genes. But nobody spoke. Cinder was keeping as much distance from her mother as possible, whilst tying to avoid father as well. It was hard. She wished harder than ever someone was there with her. Eventually, as Genise, Mark and Percy arrived, Cinder's parents talked together, but she was still silent. She at one point tried to ask a simple question - does it hurt knowing Im leaving you forever after tonight? - but her answer had been two sharp glares. Apparently not... this was going to be a rough night.

"Wow. Cinder. You look really good." Cinder heard a guff voice say behind her. She spun around and saw Percy and Opal. Percy was smiling broadly at her, but Opal was giving a surprised stare.

"Um, thanks. You both look good as well."

"Eh, thanks, Cinder!"

"Where did you get that dress?" Opal asked in a hushed voice.

"I... made my dress." Cinder stammered out. Both Percy and Opal were surprised to hear that, but it was worth it to hear not only compliments on her looks, but compliments to her tailoring skills as well. In fact, almost all of the other graduates had said something to her about how she looked except for Genise, but that wasn't a surprise at all.

*

The graduation itself had gone by without much drama. Mark had broken down in the middle of his speech while thanking his friends and teachers and Ebonie had nearly kicked down the podium doing the exact opposite, but those were taken as more entertainment than anything bad. Cinder had said her words, thanking her best friend Danika for being there for her through everything in life, Johnny for being a no good and lazy co-worker and her friend who none of them would know, Rhys for being a general nuisance, but telling her she was something whenever she said she was nothing. She didn't get much attention as she didn't do anything too out of ordinary and hadn't really spoken too loud. Probably for the best anyway.

But afterwards was the problem. Mitchell and Lena approached and gave her the most fake smiles she had ever seen and they, whilst looking constipated, congratulated her for making it. But, immediately afterwards, they had turned around, said "see ya, fuckstick," and left. Cinder didn't have a way of getting home without them. She knew it wouldn't be hard to ask if she could tag along with Danika and her mother, but it was still giving her some major anxiety. She spent the rest of the night at the sidelines, watching while Danika and Johnny danced together and wishing she had someone there with her. Nothing happened. She simply waited.

Only when Danika took a microphone and began to sing did things take a turn. "I hear your heart~ beat to the beat of the drums. Oh what a shame that you came her with someone~ so while you're here in my arms... Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young!" Cinder clapped along to the beat for a while. Danika was surprisingly good at singing when she tried and it was obviously making Johnny feel some things - nobody's face is that red over a Ke$ha song. But as the sing reached a climax and Danika was on stage, pumping her fist to the beat, Cinder couldn't help herself from singing along. And in moments, everyone in the hall was singing along.

Before Cinder really knew what she was doing, she ran onto the dance floor and let loose everything. And everyone joined her. Imagine this; a bunch of people all aged from 17-22, graduating from high school, all dancing and singing like a bunch of idiots with their families.

Needless to say, the teachers said it was one of the greatest graduations they'd ever had. No student had ever performed before.

*

That night was cold and hard to handle for Cinder. She had tagged a ride with Danika, but had to stop everything for the parents of Danika AND Johnny to get a room, because they didn't want to travel back home that late. And with the arrival of cold week - the only week where the Inn was even remotely cool - it was a struggle to stay warm in her room. It became extremely hard for her to fall asleep with the cold and the thoughts of her parents. She tried her hardest to tune it all out, but it was almost impossible. She rolled over in her bed and tried to shrug it all off. It eventually led to her thoughts again. Eventually, they began to wander into strange places.

She thought of how lonely she had felt at the party. She thought of how her parents had been when they picked her up. She thought of her speech. She thought of Rhys. She thought of nothing. She thought of the cold. She thought of what it reminded her of. She thought of titanium. She thought of Rhys. She thought of nothing. She thought of the radio station she would sometimes listen to. She thought of their disbelief of mountains. She thought of their host who wouldn't stop talking about Karlos's hair. She thought of the glow cloud. All hail the mighty glow cloud. She thought of the fact that sand is sentient, but humans are not. She thought of nothing. She thought of her friends. She thought of Danika. She thought of Johnny. She thought of Molly. She thought of Athena. She thought of Maria. She thought of Rhys.

She thought about something she knew she lacked for other people. She thought about love. She thought about how much she got her lack of love from her parents. She thought about the love between Johnny and Danika. She thought about her denial to love someone. She thought of Rhys.


	9. Foreseen Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When push comes to shove, you just gotta say what you gotta say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally... They've said it... This took me so long to write and it shouldn't have.
> 
> I don't know if I've said this before, but I'm working on three fanfics at the moment, as well as doing schoolwork and I'm co writing a Steven universe fanfic with my bestie on DA. I've been focusing on one of them way too much so I'm giving it a bit of a break and paying more attention to Stay for the Sirens again. Chapter 10 is also nearly done and it introduces some new characters (it's great) but first, enjoy the crap that is chapter 9.

Shivering in her trench coat, Cinder was happy as her close up shop alarm played from her computer. With a grin, she shut off the computer. Cold week was over. She was no longer in need of attending school. She was for once, happy. As the computer screen disappeared, she pushed her chair back and walked over to the door, opening it and turning over the sign with visible relish. She glanced up at the stars with a happy expression and thanked nothing. As she turned to go back inside, a pair of headlights to her West distracted her. Peculiar, she thought. She legitimately hadn't seen a proper car come around here since the graduation. And that had been two weeks ago.

Not knowing why, she stayed put at the door, watching this car. But it didn't pass by the Inn as she expected. It pulled up nearby and someone got out of the car. It was black, the number plate was smashed and almost nonexistent and Cinder was sure it was Hyperion. Whoever it was was wearing all black clothing, so they camouflaged well with the darkness of the night. Cinder groaned, but knew they were probably here for the Inn. She flicked the sign back over and walked back inside with a huff. As she walked back over to her desk, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Right as her butt hit the chair, the door burst open and Cinder couldn't help but smile. It was a strained smile, but it was also genuine. In the doorway, looking smug as ever, stood the CEO of ATLAS. 

Rhys strutted over the desk and returned the smile. "And what do I owe the NOT pleasure of seeing you around here again?" Cinder asked in a slightly melodic voice. He shook his head slightly and placed a box before her.

"Well, I'm not really naming a price because my presence is enough. But, I owe you a lot." He pointed at the box before pushing it towards her. "Everything in there is yours." With hesitation, Cinder clicked open the box. As the lid flung open, her heart nearly stopped beating. So. Much. MONEY! Her eyes glittered before the sight.

"Where in the hell did you get all of this?" She asked in a breathless disbelief. 

"Well, you know, a Vault, nothing too special." Rhys replied with a sly smirk. Cinder raised an inquired eyebrow at him.

"A Vault?" She hesitated. "That's a bit out of your alley, I'm pretty sure." She said, her smile fading.

"Oh, I know a few people who could tell you that it happened." He replied, leaning against the desk. She shook her head and closed the case.

"I don't even know why I question you anymore." She murmured, taking the case into her possession. For a moment, she was unsure if this was a trap or not, but she was almost sure Rhys wouldn't betray her. Her certainty was questionable, but she accepted this.

"What rooms you got?" Rhys asked blandly and without even opening her workbook, Cinder answered, 

"Room 3, standard single 3. That's all I've got." She got a slight nostalgia as she continued with, "The uppers are undergoing renovations..." She had heard herself say that over a year ago, when she had first him and Fiona. He nodded.

"I'll take it." Cinder shook her head and opened the logbook, making the notes she needed. Within a minute, she slid the key over to him and stood. "You know the drill - this isn't your first show around here." She said in a salty tone as she was finally allowed to close up shop. She had locked the door and was making her way over to the desk to pack up her mug and other bits-and-bobs, only to find him still standing there. She no longer questioned him. She walked right past without thinking, grabbed her things and was out. A friendly way of going about it, to be true.

Pushing the doors to the dining room open (they had gotten rid of the automatic doors because of their tendency to break) Cinder was greeted by the usual hum of many people, all eating and talking. Danika wandered out of the kitchen and waved at her friend before proceeding somewhere else. A plate of slightly rancid meat later, Cinder was feeling horrible and in need of sleep - as if she didn't feel the need for sleep every other day.

*

Imagine a dingy little town that started out as a few hunters and townspeople wanting to be isolated. Imagine that place in the ravine in a mountain. Imagine a jagged entrance like that of a Skag hole, but bigger. No, a little bit bigger than that. No, cal,Mir with the juts there. Little more of that... Perfect. That place was dubbed Silent Cove, but those who still live from it call it 'the Shire'. It's true name is a curse, but, the author will shed more light on that later on.

Now, imagine in this town, there are two people. In love of course, as these stories go and about to have a child. Their reign as shire leaders wasn't going to come to a close because of this, but it put them in jeopardy nonetheless. Their names were Lena and Mitchell. Imagine two people with rugged looks, Mitchell has pitch black hair and Lena has it starch white. Imagine them ready for this to happen.

Now imagine a young girl by the name of Maria, the child of these two people. Maria was a blessing to their lives, she was. Her fathers hair colour and mothers eye colour. She was beautiful. But the happiness of his child being around didn't last long. Only two and half years to be exact.

Picture this, Mitchell and Lena going to the Silent hotel late one night because they can't be bothered walking all the way back home. Imagine, as they lay together in that room, they share a healthily aged bottle of red wine. Now, not graphically, imagine they start to have some fun. But they... weren't the smartest about it at all.

Imagine the panic when they discovered they were to have a second child

Imagine what the child they birthed must have felt like when they were called a mistake. Imagine this child has major trust issues. Imagine this child would lock her room from the inside every night to make sure 'mommy and daddy can't get me'. Imagine that even after locking at door, a bottle of whiskey on her fathers part would still find him there eventually. Imagine the fear and grief this child felt when her dear sister Maria, who her parents seemed to worship, was murdered before her very eyes. Imagine this child being driven from her home in the shire after the murderer burnt her house down to its very shutters. Imagine this child being told with the firmest of voices it was all her fault.

This girl hasn't got life in the best way. Her childhood was spent in fear. Imagine her now.

Yes, graphically now, imagine this girl has a fringe that flicks anti gravitationally over her right eye. Imagine this girl has the most vibrant jasmine eyes you will ever lay your own eyes on. Imagine this girl with blue tattoos that she hides under her weatherbeaten and equipment damaged trench coat. Imagine this girl wears a headband of violet. Imagine this girl going back to her roots of birth and starting an Inn. Imagine this girl has only the backup of a loopy best friend, a horrible coworker, a girl she rarely sees and an idiot who can't take care of himself. Imagine his girl can't go a night without being haunted with her sins. Imagine this girl knowing that the truth is, she's a bottle of red wine and a mistake.

You just imagined Cinder Forest.

How do you feel knowing this? Horrible? Only she knows this. This is who she is. And she can tell nobody... unless... No... Don't do it Cinder... He can't know... Struggle a little more... Nobody can know...

*

Blue contrasting against a backdrop of ebony. The blue blurs, fades and melds with the light absent area that cloaked it. There is a scream. Hearing it would shake anyone with even a scrap of sanity - or chill to the bone. It is of a young girl. The blue's glow fades completely and its place, a spark disperses and rises into a strong flame that keeps burning. The flames are growing before your eyes and the sounds of crippling wood fills the air. A form begins to dance in the flames. There is no music. There is only the sound of burning. The form in the fire steps away from it, steps out of the embers and becomes its own entity. Diminishing rapidly, the flames escape the forms body. 

Another flash of brilliant blue and the form is undergoing a transfiguration. Hair in a ponytail, a fringe swept over both eyes. A pair of glasses on a noseless face, squarely shaped. A long sleeved jacket sweeps overs its torso and knee length jeans make themselves apparent in its body. The form seems to drop and hit the ground. Momentarily, it is still. It looks up, as if looking you in the eyes... It is looking you directly in the eyes. It has eyes, a nose, a mouth, a FACE, God damnit.

The girl before you smiles and walks forward. You don't feel threatened by her in any way. You've seen her before. Just, then, she was younger than she appears to be now. She reaches a point just before your field of view. She extends a blue hand towards you and without thinking you take it. She gives you a breathtakingly beautiful smile and the scenery transforms around you both.

You can see yourself now. You look no different than normal. You're still wearing the headband, the trench coat, the worn boots, filthy jeans and old pink top. The scene around you... you've seen ur before. Maria is sitting against the old oak tree, beckoning you. You don't know how she got there so fast, but you don't question her. She is your sister after all. You sit beside her and she takes your hand. You hear her voice, but you don't know what she saying. You don't need to know.

The sky around you turns to a gorgeous ombré of oranges and pinks and you hear Maria say, "it's time you returned to you life, Cinder." You begin to plead.

"But, I don't want to go back there! You aren't there!" A single tear runs down your cheek and Maria wipes it away.

"no. I'm not there. But you've stayed strong for me this long." She gives you that smile again. "there are people in this world who have things to say to you, but don't know how. They care about you, so please accept what they say. They trust you." A darkness forms behind Maria and around you. She leans forward and kisses your cheek. "I love you, Cinder," was the last thing you hear her say.

*

It was humid in her bedroom as Cinder woke up. It was early in the morning and her alarm was due to go off in a another hour or two, but as she tried to sleep again, she found it was practically impossible. Her eyes simply would not shut as she commanded them to. They would always reopen and look around the room. Eventually, she realised she was searching for Alura, the little devil. For over half an hour, her eyes simply darted around the room searching for the spider. But she found nothing of worth.

Without knowing what she was doing, Cinder stood up and walked over to the ladder. Climbing up, she opened the hatch and pulled herself onto the balcony. She jumped in surprise as she saw someone standing at the railing of the balcony, the door on the wall open wide. Apparently, ECHO eye had some sort of lock picking system or something. Cinder groaned slightly and was about to retreat when he turned to her. "Couldn't sleep?" He asked, his voice surprisingly normal. Cinder guessed he had been up here longer than she thought. She gave a curt nod and leaned against the railing beside him.

Rising steadily to their east, the sun peeked over the mountains. "I used to live in those mountains." Cinder murmured aloud. 

"Really?" Rhys asked, hearing her comment. Normally, Cinder would have told him to fuck off and mind his own business, but in her tired and only half awake state, she continued upon his prompt.

"Yeah, in a little cove area. The Shire." She smiled and brushed some fringe from her eyes. "There was an old oak tree where me and Maria would play together. You know, when I wasn't beating up the boys after they got me in the street. I was with her and the others most of the time... It wasn't like I could stay home." She forced herself to not say 'what with Dad's drinking problem and all.'

"Others?"

"Maria had other friends. Tanya, Johnny and Isaac." She finished and sighed. There was silence between them.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"About Maria."

"What do you mean?"

"Look Cinder, I know what happened..." He paused. "She was murdered, right?" She glanced away and made a noise that indicated he was correct. A sort of 'mm hmm', to describe. "I'm sorry."

"Why... Why are you apologising?" She asked, rubbing something away from her sleepy eyes. Her voice was trembling slightly. A minute or so passed, but he did not have an answer for her. Cinder smirked and chuckled softly. It was more of a muse than anything. "That's what I thought." She turned to leave the balcony, only to be stopped as a hand hit her shoulder and stayed, firmly planted in place.

"Cinder." The word was shaking and breathy. But the rest of the words Rhys intended to speak didn't come forth. They stayed in his throat. The questions he had still boiled inside him. He couldn't ask her. A tingling surfaced in his hand as it rested on her tattoos... His hand whipped away from her and he apologised again. She shrugged and descended the ladder. His antics really didn't bother her anymore. Cindy appeared through the open door and Rhys crouched down with her.

"What am I supposed to do, Cindy? I can never time it right. I'll never tell her at this rate, will I?" He looked down at the creature, who merely shrugged. "And, God, I have so many questions." He said as he smacked his head sharply back into the railing. A somewhat punishment for not fucking telling her.

You may be thinking of what Rhys wanted to tell Cinder. Now, gather up your speculations, roll them into a ball... And throw them in the trash because here the author is to exposition the fuck out of you... What, it's not like he stated it all out loud, the author needs to elaborate or this story is gonna end up shitty... Unless it already is. Oh well. For a short go of the story, Rhys wanted to tell Cinder everything.

Rhys longed to tell Cinder he was a siren. He had an undying trust for her. Nobody else he could tell this about. He had always been cautious about it around other people. But, it was like a yearning to tell Cinder that. He wanted to tell her that he could never truly repay her after all she'd done, but he could try. He wanted to tell her that he had a spider friend that he had named Cindy, after her. He wanted to tell her about the dreams. She had told him about her strange dreams, but the fact that they were closely shared... It was abnormal. He wanted to admit to her something far fetched. He wanted her to know she was loved. He wanted to tell her that he loved her

And even if he couldn't tell her everything right away, he was gonna fucking try anyway.

*

"Danika, that isn't how it works." Johnny's somewhat frustrated voice mused as he attempted to work with his girlfriend.

"Nonononono, I got this!" Danika almost yelled, bouncing slightly on her heels. There was a disgusted 'Augh' from Johnny, followed by the distinct sound of a hand hitting a face. Most likely Johnny's hand to his own face. This. Was not working... at all. This was basic stuff! How could Danika mess this up?! And if she did, Johnny was gonna be the one in the shit for letting Danika screw up the main computer.

Ahh, the cruel punishment / duty of teaching Danika how to run the Inn. Cinder she wasn't always going to be around to run this place and she couldn't just keep closing and reopening it whenever she pleaded. So, she was in need of her coworkers to know how to run the front desk... Johnny knew how... And Cinder was doing stuff with someone else... So... Teaching duty. How fun.

"Ok, what the FRICK did you just do?" Johnny said, pushing Danika out of the way and staring in a shock induced paralysis. Oh fuck. Cinder was going to kill him.

*

"Ok. You said you wanted to talk." Cinder said in a confused tone as she shut the door behind her.

"Yeah, I did say that." Rhys muttered for a second, avoiding eye contact with her. Cinder leaned back against her bedroom door and glared at him.

"Well, get on with it then." She said in a half sarcastic tone. He looked up at her sheepishly and gave her a crooked smile.

"Now, uh, please, don't freak out..." He stopped and took a deep breath. To himself, he began to sigh "now... How does one explain this?" He paced ever so slightly and Cinder raised a single, black brow at him. She hadn't let him talk to her privately - ON WORK HOURS - for him to not be able to explain himself. "Ok, you just gotta say it. Cinder, I was lying to you when we talked about the tattoos. They are real, so..." Her eyes widened in half disbelief, half anger. "That makes me a siren." He gave an unsure chuckle. Cinder stalked forward until she was standing right before him. 

Then, in a sudden and swift movement, she had dropped her trench coat. She raised her left arm and flexed her knuckles. The tattoos that lined her arms pumped with untapped energy and glowed brilliantly. She clenched her fist and felt them throb as they turned indigo. She looked up at him with a half hearted smile.

" And that makes two of us." She was ashamed. She had done so much and kept this secret for so long... only to break that easily and tell Rhys. She felt like a total idiot. A secret kept for so many years only to now...

"I... I don't believe it," he muttered. She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I'm... not the only one." She smiled.

"Same." She said with a chuckle. He shook his head.

"You don't think it's weird? Or like..."

"Not really."

"So... it doesn't bother you that I'm a siren?"

"Look, I've been living with the same secret. A power you could use to kill billions. Immense power. But we've had to hide it to instead protect people... and ourselves. It's not like this society finds sirens extremely helpful. I can relate to this. So I don't really care. You're still you." He smiled. "Only question is..." She stopped.

"What?" He asked in anticipation.

"Does it bother you knowing who I am?"

"Well, I can't see any reasons why. Just... don't tell anyone. Just because we accept doesn't men anyone else will."

"I've kept and still are keeping secrets. Don't worry. You're secrets safe with me."

*

A rush of excitement shot through Cinder as she heard it. It was unmistakable. It was rain. She ignored the footsteps approaching behind her, jumped over her desk and sprinted out the front doors. Rain. With nostalgia, she twirled on the balls of her feet, her arms outstretched to the precipitation. She knew it was only water. But that didn't make her any less excited for it. Out of the corner of her eye, Cinder caught a glimpse of someone standing in the still open doorway of the Inn. She stopped her dance and turned to them. Of course she saw Rhys at the door. Who else would it be. He was wearing a shit eating smirk and shaking his head at her.

Brushing some damp hair from her eyes, Cinder trudged over to him. "This is the first shit we've had in over two freaking years." She stated rather simply, with her own smirk.

"You have literally never looked like more of an idiot before." She raised an eyebrow.

"Who's someone you haven't seen in a while? Tell me, you wouldn't be an excited little bitch when you saw them again." His smirk retreated and he looked away with the most uncomfortable expression.

"Uhh..." He chuckled slightly and tapped his fingertips together. Cinder shook her head at him and turned on her heels.

"As I thought." She murmured, taking minuscule steps away from him. He didn't move for a few moments and Cinder took her opportunity. She whipped around, grabbed his hand and pulled him straight from the doorway. He let out a Yelp of surprise, tripping from the force.

"Hey!" But he had said it more out of surprise than anything. 

With gay abandon, it didn't really matter. Front door closed, night dark, rain pouring. It didn't matter how childish they were being. The night and the Inn closed with nothing less of anything. It's hard to explain, really. Take it for what it is, reader. Does the author need to explain a general happiness between two people? Do they? Because they won't. And, reader, take it for what it is. Two sirens, happy. For once. And not for much longer.


	10. With nuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to Tumbleweed Valley provides a new experience and a strange encounter with two very nutty girls...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG THIS CHAPTER GUYS
> 
> INTRODUCING TWO NEW CHARACTERS I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO INCLUDE FOR SO FREAKING LONG
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER WILL BRING ANOTHER NEW PERSON TOO
> 
> ALSO, WRITING PYSCHOS IS SURPRISINGLY FUN
> 
> SORRY IF ANYTHINGS OOC (trust me, it isn't this time around guys, it's perfect)

"That was a mistake on both of our parts." Cinder said in a determined yet nasally voice.

"No it wasn't. It wasn't my decision at all. That was your fault." Rhys replied simply.

"Granted, it was, but you stayed!"

"You had my arm the whole time!"

"Come on. You wanted to back out, you could've."

"You're a lot stronger than you look, you know that right?"

"Whatever." They had been talking about the rain incident. Apparently, Cinder had forgotten the downside of when you dance in the rain with a friend... you both end up sick. It had been a week or so since then.

"But yeah, they'll be here in about ten minutes to get me." He said finally, making the clarification of what they had been talking about previously.

"Interesting. I'll be tagging along too."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

"Augh, don't be such a baby. I just gotta get some shit for Danika in town. I don't see why I can't come."

"Fiona literally hates you."

"Her loss. Look I needed to leave for town about twenty minutes ago and besides, you probably won't even see me there."

"Fine."

Cinder exited the Inn without saying any more. It was true. She needed to be gone and getting the crap twenty minutes ago, but, guess who rocked up. Man, Rhys had great timing for these things. Simply put, she got on the bike, kicked it into life and drove herself out of there. Johnny knew the protocol, Danika obviously didn't after what she'd done to her computer, so she knew it wouldn't be the biggest issue. Besides, Johnny's a mega procrastinator. He would no doubt hold them up until Cinder got back.

By the time Cinder reached the main turnoff to the town, she crossed paths with a large caravan. Relatively new. She couldn't see who was inside due to the tinted windows, but, did it matter? The caravan took the turn towards the Epsilon Inn and Cinder assumed many things all at once. She shrugged and made her own way to town. She ran over what she would need in her mind, sighing and averting her eyes from the road. Going into Tumbleweed Valley was never a good idea. But she didn't have a choice. Many minutes later, Cinder was met with the entrance of the valley. The familiar sign had been graffitied on in large red marker. It read 'fuck off pissbabies'. Not too weird. It was covered in what was probably Skag scratches. Normal for this place.

*

"53." Cinder handed over the cash and took up the package. "See ya round." Amelia, the shopkeeper, said in that heavy Elpis accent, blowing some of her cigar smoke into Cinder's face. It didn't bother her - drop-kicks like Amelia weren't rare around here after all. As she exited the store, the sight was different from when she had gone in. First off, her bike was gone. Second off, the amount of Psychos around was more than usual... and there was always a disposable plethora of them. Instinctively, Cinder reached for her holster, making sure her gun was in place if she would somehow find the useful need for it. She trudged onwards towards the Eridium Vault, the local bar in Tumbleweed Valley. She could maybe find something there.

A familiar voice yelled out and she threw her palm to her face. She had a sudden realisation that they had probably stolen her motorcycle. She turned in the direction and saw someone she didn't recognise beckoning her. Knowing she had firearms handy, she casually walked over to them. The girl grabbed her hand and dragged her through an unknown alleyway to an open sector of land, still in the valley, separate to the main town. Instead, there was barren ground and a bandit camp tucked by the valley walls.

"You know him right?" The girl asked, pointing towards a peculiar and...Actually hilarious scene. Rhys was being cornered by a group of Psychos. He promptly looked like he was shitting himself.

"I wish I didn't." Cinder uttered in reply.

"He said you could him get out of this mess."

"Of course he did, the asshole."

"Our thoughts as well." Cinder heard Fiona say. By yet another instinct, Cinder raised her gun and walked forward.

"Try or die, ladies. I haven't got time for both" she said loudly. The largest of the group turned to her, glaring through its mask.

"Oh my god, you're finally here! Cinder, you have to tell them it wasn't me." Rhys said in an obviously panicked voice. Cinder folded her arms and rises an eyebrow.

"Pretty boy STOLE!" One of the Psychos yelled at Cinder.

"Did not!" Rhys yelled in reply to it.

"What did you steal, Rhys?" Cinder asked in a very monotone voice, hiding her amusement.

"I didn't steal anything, Sasha did." 

"Don't pin this on me!" Sasha yelled accusingly from behind the rock she was hiding behind. Cinder couldn't help but wonder what had been stolen instead of who stole it. The lead Psycho grunted an order to a few of the tiny and within seconds four of them had shot forward, grabbing Cinder and three others, pushing them into the threatening circle with Rhys.

"Great job. You got us caught." Fiona murmured to Sasha.

"Inevitable." Cinder said, furrowing her brow. Pressing a knife to Cinder's neck, a Psycho began to spit out

"Where'd ya put it, precious? Where'd ya put the meat bicycles's?" 

"I was not involved in this." Cinder said, glaring at everyone around her.

"I can say that I wasn't either." Vaughn uttered.

"I'm with you man."

"SHUT UP! FILTHY THIEVES'S!" As it finished shouting abuse at the five of them, Cinder outright shot the shithead right between the eyes. "WHAT A WORLD!" It screamed as it fell to the ground. Suddenly, it was an outright massacre, four of the five making use of their guns and disposing of the group that had cornered them - as per fucking usual, Rhys wasn't doing much. In a minute or so, every single one of them were dead.

"We better go - more of them will be coming." One of them said, though it wasn't clear who. Cinder stopped.

"We can't, they're combing the streets like wolves. They'll catch us before we make it out of even the most secluded of alleyways." Faint yelling and gunfire could be heard in the distance. Typical. "We need a backup plan... And I think I know who."

"We don't need another person. We need the van." Fiona said blandly, brandishing her sleeve pistol.

"Yes, we do. Tell me, how much ammo do you have?" Nobody said anything for a while. Even the distant screaming and gunfire ceased. "I can say I haven't got much. We need her." 

"Who is... 'her'?" Vaughn asked, confused for everyone there.

"Nobody knows her name, but she's one of Pandora's most revered mercenaries. Need someone killed, she's your girl. Need something stolen, she's your girl. Need a place to hide, she knows every inch of Pandora like its nothing - she your girl. Need ammo, weapons or healing crap, she's your girl." Cinder explained. She was about to continue, only to be cut off by a sharp, sarcastic and relatively young voice.

"Need someone to fix that derpy haircut, then I ain't your girl!" Stepping from the alley, a young girl of about thirteen came forth. She was not taller than Vaughn but, damn she had some major style about her, her blonde hair tucked behind one of her ears and tied into a shirt ponytail over her shoulder. Her clothes were indescribable. The sleeves were an ombré of the sunset, flaring out from the elbows downward. She had a sort of corset, brown in colour that matched her shoulder binding. In between it all, a comfortable looking, blue fabric hugged her breasts. Black tights, strapped, brown, knee high boots and a black fedora topped it all off with some great style. A choker with an embedded Emerald hung around her neck.

"That was fast." Sasha uttered.

"I was in the neighbourhood. The bar actually, finishing a job for someone. May have gone a bit overboard though..." Sweat formed inconspicuously in the shadow of her hat cast down on her face. Loud yelling could be heard from the main town area.

"You got an angry mob after you?" Vaughn asked, slightly disgusted.

"An entire bandit camp more or less. Might have killed their warlord." She said pulling her hat over her eyes. She stood stock still before the five of them for a moment. Suddenly, she whipped the hat off and replaced it on her head with new found sass. She looked at them all directly. "Look. I've got a plan. It's a dumb, stupid plan that I'm 97.3% sure won't work. But I was never good at math and never even like it so LETS DO IT!" The girl turned to face the high up cliff in front of them - not the one behind them - and made a whistling call.

Atop the cliff - like in the dramatic western movies - a silhouette appeared. What appeared to be a girl, riding a Skag, a cowboy hat gripped in the hand that wasn't holding the Skag.

"YEEE-HAAA- OH MY FUCKING..." The Skag tipped further back than anticipated and the girl fell off, yelling obscenities the whole way down. Her shape appeared again, hunched over and pointing at the Skag accusingly. "OH MY GOD, WILSON!! FUCKING... WHAT DID I TELL YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?!" The yelling paused and the Skags head dropped visibly. "DONT GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT AGAIN! GO BACK WITH EVERYONE ELSE. YOU DONT GET SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR BEING SMALL, JUST LIKE BINGHAM AND HIS WATER PROBLEM!" There was a pause. "STOP THAT, YOU STUPID CREATURE! YOU ARE NOT THE VICTIM HERE!" The Skag trotted off sadly. Regaining composure, the girl then looked down at the six standing and watching her and placed her hat back on. As a Skag approached her from behind, she pointed at them all and yelled something incoherent. The blonde girl who had called this new girl opened her arms outwards as the Earth began to shift slightly under everyone's feet.

Before they knew what was going on, hundreds of Skags were flooding down the cliff side. The girls on the cliff jumped on one of them, yelling once again. Her skills at riding the creature were exceptional, done by no one before her, but nobody was concerned at how well she was doing it. They were concerned at the wave of Skags running right for them! Cinder began to run in the opposite direction, but everyone else was frozen in fear. 

"Yeah, don't run, Cinder. They won't hurt you." Cinder stopped running for the sole purpose of looking the young girl in the eyes with an expression that asked 'what is wrong with you?'. But the question was dropped as suddenly the Skags were on top of the group. But, unexpectedly, they didn't attack. Instead, they picked up the humans and tossed them in their leathery backs, booking it into the streets and out of town. It was mad. Everyone clinging for dear life onto the spikes and leathery skin of these to be previously thought 'untameable' beasts. All the while, the mistress from the top of the cliff was simply standing on one of their backs, her arms lifted dramatically. She was posing the whole time.

"ARE YOU STUPID?!" Rhys yelled at the girl. She looked over at him and brushed some locks away from her face. She squinted at him through her black frames. 

"Nah mate. I'm not fucking stupid. And if you think I am stupid, I'll throw you off because I have half a mind to drop you right now, after what you and your little friend did to Sherlock." Her tone was accusing.

"What?" Rhys asked in panic, not understanding at all. Sherlock? Their accusing conversation didn't continue as the Skag the girl rode rocketed forward to the front of the running pack.

"TO EPSILON, CECIL!" She yelled and every Skag boosted their speed. The moment of the Skag army, led by this insane teenager was hilarious, only made so much better by the copious amounts of anxious screaming everyone couldn't help but make at one point or another. Ten or so minutes later, the Skags came to a stop and dropped whatever human they were carrying. The girl made another incoherent cry and they all ran off in some direction, a few others going a different way. A large sign pointing towards somewhere made it clear where they were. Epsilon Drive. Only so far from the Inn.

The second girl is finally able to be seen properly. She had much worse style than the other girl. She was far more plain; wearing only a simply purple shirt, fading blue, yet filthy jeans, a fluffy grey jacket (how girl, you're in the middle of the desert for Christ sake) and converse shoes. Her hair was a half blonde, half 'what the fuck' brown colour and it was wild, long and knotty under her weather worn Stetson. She had black glasses that everyone was surprised to see still intact - not shattered. She looked to be about Vaughn's height, give or take a few centimetres.

"Thanks, whoever you are." One of them said to the girls. The blonde girl was now standing beside the girl with glasses. They both nodded and said 'welcome'. 

"I'm sure I can find space for these guys at the Inn since, uh, well..."

"Our rides are still in Tumbleweed Valley." Fiona said, finished Cinder's sentence. Cinder nodded.

"Precisely."

"You guys go to the Inn, we got the vehicles. We'll have em back to you by morning." The glasses wearing girl said plainly.

"Trust. We know how to drive." Everyone shook their heads at how they were trusting these two probably insane teenagers with their van and motorcycle... which they clarified was what they needed back.

"Not hard to drive a vehicle when you drive Skags every day." Stetson said as she picked at her thumbnail. 

"It's true. She's the best Skag trainer on Pandora. And it's thanks to here we're making a Skag army." Fedora said, pointing at her friend.

"Mate, I'm the only Skag trainer." 

"Yeah I kno- has anyone ever told you that your eyelashes are fucking gorgeous?" Stetson proceed to slam her palm into her face.

"Not trying to be weird or anything, but, what are your names?" 

"I'm Hazelnut." The Stetson girl said, pointing her thumb at herself. It jerked over at her friend. "She's Pistachio."

"She's Hazelnut." Pistachio said, pointing at Hazelnut. "I'm Pistachio." She pointed at herself. A wave of utter disbelief swept over everyone at that. Vaughn stepped forward.

"Ok. Just, wait a minute. Now, you," he looked at Pistachio with a set expression. "You're one of the most deadly mercenaries out there, you can literally steal anything if someone asks you to and, and you're what, like, thirteen?" Pistachio nodded, one eyebrow cocked upwards in confusion. "And you," he turned to look at Hazelnut. "Working with deadly beasts every day, training them and forming an army with them, and you're literally the one who killed a troop of classic Vault Hunters. AND you're only thirteen?"

"Fourteen by about a week. What the fuck're you getting at mate?" Hazelnut said in a blatantly disinterested reply.

"AND YOU WANT US TO CALL YOU PISTACHIO AND HAZELNUT?!?!" 

"If it makes you SOOO uncomfortable mate, just call me Hazel. Even Stachio calls me that." He pointed at Pistachio.

"Does that mean I get to call her piss?" He asked with a smirk, turning to everyone else. They all nodded like it was a good idea and stepped forward with him.

"Well, it's what I'm calling you whether you call me that or not. Cause it's what you're gonna do when you turn around." She pointed to something behind him.

"Wha?" He turned around only to be met with one of he largest Skags in existence. Letting out a girly scream, he shot behind Sasha, attempting to use her as a shield if it decided to attack. Pistachio smirked and held a hand up to Hazelnut, who, with a sigh of exasperation, placed five dollars in her hand. 

"I think our work here is done, Hazel." Pistachio said in a demeaning tone.

"Yep. Me too, Stachio. We'll be seeing you all soon, hopefully with your rides too. And, Thomas, stand down or he'll crap himself as well." Hazelnut replied, gesturing towards the huge Skag as they both turned. The enormous Skag apparently named 'Thomas' jumped after girls and walked beside them.

The five were left behind, to ponder whatever that fuck had just happened to them. They were silent for a few moments, but Vaughn interrupted the silence by saying,

"SHE CALLED THAT THING, THOMAS?!?!"

Cinder mumbled something incoherent and pulled the collar of her trench-coat closer around her neck, shaking her head in disbelief all the while. She began setting off towards the Inn, as the sign said. Rhys ran after after her and they were followed slowly by Sasha, Fiona and Vaughn.

*

"That must have been the craziest day EVER!" Danika stated as she pulled something from the oven tray. Cinder gave a struggled nod.

"Honestly, it's been close to it... And I don't have my bike now." THAT, she was frustrated about that in particular, the rest had been average. Psychos and psychotic teenagers weren't as elusive here as they were in other planets. Being in the kitchen and wasting time talking to Danika brought a strange and unwanted nostalgia up. Over a year ago... She shook off the feeling. This wasn't the time. She could do this later, alone on the roof. Not here.

"So... ya didn't mention Jimmy-bob to them girls, did ya?" She took a moment.

"Nope." It finally dawned on her - Danika had taken the croc from them... but how? They were Skag trainers...

"Oh thank god." Danika uttered as she exited the kitchen, grabbing a random plate of something from the counter. Exiting the kitchen as well, Cinder hung by the wall, tuning in to the conversations around her.

"But Dahl had the upper hand!"

"Hyperion is and will forever be better, though!"

"You're never gonna live that down are you?"

"They're gonna call me that forever; of course I'm not gonna live it down."

"Sucked in, dude."

"Fight me."

"I'll fight him for you."

"I assure you it wasn't murder."

"Uh-huh. That's what they all say."

"Spiders man. They creep the fuck outta me."

"Oh, get a life, Jolean," 

"How many times do I got ta tell ya, that never happened!"

"Got 'is mask the other day. I lost all respect for 'im after that."

"Do y'all hear 'bout what happened out at Tumbleweed Valley just today? Eridium Vault was shut down thanks to that no good Fedora wearin' scumbag."

"Heard there was more of them this time around. A whole group massacre."

"But they were taken out a week ago! Nobody stands a chance out there!"

"Yeah, but whose to say that a new gen won't take their place?"

"How can one replace the majority of the Crimson Raiders? You can't! Like I said, nobody stands a chance anymore!"

"Liar! They might be waiting. They might not even know who they are yet. Take the Inn here. Anyone here right now could do it."

"Yeah right!"

"Johnny, that wasn't my fault. That computer makes no sense at 'll."

"You didn't need to fry it like you did, though. She'll kill you soon enough."

"Don't shit me here; did it or did it not happen?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The thing at the place, bro!"

"New bounty notices are listing people off like crazy! Two new ones even said they were sirens. How can they say that when they don't have pictures or evidence? It's bullcrap."

"Maybe..."

"Don't freaking say it!"

"What, come on! Don't shit on my parade! You know there is a chance! They're out there!"

"Well, they're not going to be people from the bounty boards, I tell you."

She'd had enough. This trash talk made no sense anymore. Walking past the table where Rhys sat with the others, she clubbed around the head with a smirk and acted like it didn't happen. Oh, the fun she had. 

*

The fun was gone. There was only power. A power she couldn't grasp. It flooded about her, emitting from her glowing skin. It made no sense. This had never happened before. The light surrounding her was forming shapes, entities, creatures. She clamped her eyes shut in attempt to drown it out. But how could she drown a part of her?


	11. Gasoline in Eridium Vault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a previous encounter, everyone is brought back to the Eridium Vault in Tumbleweed Valley. But a new person marks more than one new thing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOVE THIS CHAPTER
> 
> Feeling shitful. My iPad is being stupid with the wifi lately, which is an issue. But I'm trying my best to write as much as possible
> 
> Enjoy

"Cinder?" Danika asked, poking her head into her friends room. The black haired girl stirred for a moment and turned over in the bed. Opening the door more, Danika proceeded forward, about to wake her up properly (even if it meant getting slapped), only to stop dead in her tracks. The room around her was... A fucking mess. Something lay shattered on the ground in front of her dresser, books strewn about the floor, some missing pages fluttering about the the carpet beneath her bed. A photo frame lay face down on the floor, what must have been a picture in shreds about it. With caution, Danika approached her friend, unaware of what could have caused this. "Cinder? Them nuts girls need to see ya, or somethin." She said softly, lightly prodding Cinder's tattooed arm. The feel of her skin shocked Danika for a moment. Literally shocked her. Like an electric current.

"Whatever." Cinder said, barely opening her eyes. Sitting up, she muttered "tell them I'll be there in five," rubbing her red eyes all the while. Danika turned and exited the room with haste. Almost falling from the bed, she grabbed her filthy trench coat and jeans, taking off her already worn clothes and replacing them. Upon realising she didn't have a proper shirt on, she actually stood and staggered over to the dresser, pulling one of the drawers open and grabbing the first thing she saw. It was her signature pink top that she loved so much... Perfect. As she dressed, she ignored the state of the room around her. She didn't remember much from what happened the previous night, but it had caused destruction. She needed to get a much better hold on her powers.

A sudden thought hit her. Everyone she had seen yesterday. It was all starting to fall together. The gun, it was Fiona's. Those goggles belonged to Sasha. The scarf was Vaughn's. The choker, it hung around Pistachio's neck. The Stetson and Skag claw, all symbolic to Hazel being a Skag trainer. She guessed the wing meant Rhys - it closely resembled that of a siren's and after the confirmation of her hunch, it wasn't hard to draw that line. She shook her head. That still didn't explain the slag barrel and red hair. But, that still didn't explain why in all of it, it appeared as though a fight were being lost. What and why were they fighting? And... they all looked like the people that had been tortured... She once again shook off the feeling. This wasn't the time to be thinking about it.

Two minutes later, she exited the break room, her hair combed to a degree that it looked OK, her boots on and as little tiredness showing on her face as possible. She rounded the corner to the front desk and was hit by a key.

"DAMNIT, WRONG ONE! Hey, can I have that back for a sec? Thought you were someone else." It was Hazelnut talking. Cinder tossed the key back to them and smiled, one eyebrow raised. 

"The bike?"

"In mint condition." Said Pistachio, making the OK symbol with her hand. Hazelnut nodded.

"Quite right." There was a sound behind Cinder and suddenly, the key was once again thrown, followed by a sharp gag of pain from whoever it hit. "Sorry, I'm not sorry." She followed up with a heart smile, showing off her uncleaned and braced teeth. Cinder heard Vaughn groan and she turned to give him a sympathetic look.

"It hit me too." She uttered, almost silently. He nodded in her direction, as if to say 'well we have one thing in common at least'. 

"Where are the rest at? We've been waiting for like, what is it, ten minutes?" Pistachio asked, falling back on one leg dramatically. Hazelnut shook her head and followed up with,

"Ten minutes."

"I could've killed someone in that time." She said, leaning up enough to meet Hazelnut's eyes. In a few minutes, Rhys, Fiona and Sasha arrived. 

"So, guys, guess who's gonna go back to Tumbleweed Valley?" Hazelnut asked. She didn't wait for an answer as she almost immediately finished with, "answer is all of you suckers."

"What?" Cinder asked, anger evident in her tone. Hazelnut nodded.

"This one has something to say to the barmaid from yesterday. And she needs you five as backup." They all looked confused. Pistachio's face fell.

"Just, come with us to the Eridium Vault in Tumbleweed Valley." She said, walking out the door with major swag, a sway in her hips.

*

"I still don't know why we had to come." Vaughn uttered as Hazelnut pushed open the door of the Eridium Vault in Tumbleweed Valley.

"Oh, shut up, piss. You're all getting a free drink. We just need a backup in case that red haired waitress is angry with us." Pistachio said in reply, gesturing at nothing particular.

"Angry with you, mate." Hazelnut said, jerking an accusing thumb at her. Pistachio shrugged and sat down at one of the tables in the corner of the bar.

"Nice touch." Cinder murmured, stepping over what she assumed was probably a dead body, careful for her coat not to catch on it. Eridium Vault was a typical bar, multiple booths, the bar counter and its minuscule stools, blood splattered on almost everything and the stereotypical bartender wiping down the bar. A nearly broken jukebox sat in the opposite corner of the place, quietly playing some emo band. The bartender was, quite obviously, a cyborg. Half of his face was a metallic, chrome underlay, most of the skin covering having corroded, his ruffled black hair falling over his left eye - the human eye. One arm was that of a human, while the other was a complex cybernetic replacement. He looked up at the seven of them and his exposed eye visibly scanned them all. He shrugged for a moment and went back to wiping down the counter.

As they all sat down and picked up a menu from the centre of the table, the barmaid walked over with a scowl. She was quite a sight, as in, a horrid one. She was no older than 22 or so, her hair vibrant red and pulled hurriedly into a ponytail over her shoulder, a long fringe covering her right eye. Parts of a purple symbol peeked from below her wild fringe, but it stayed concealed for the most part. The eye they could see was green and her skin was pale and looked slightly sunburnt. She was short, considering everything. Couldn't be much taller than Hazelnut. 

"Want anything?" She asked in the most sarcastic voice possible. It was clear she recognised Pistachio from the previous day. It took a moment, but they all placed their orders awkwardly. Hazelnut made it apparent that Pistachio needed to go over there and apologise sooner or later, through the many eyebrow movements she made. They then proceeded to have an entire silent conversation through eyebrow expression. Pistachio glared then stood up, walking on the table instead of awkwardly having to crawl over people and strutting over to the barmaid.

"Hey Hazel. Pistachio is literally nuts." Rhys said, turning to the girl who was fiddling with her Stetson in annoyance. She gave a blank stare and waited for a moment. Everyone was completely silent. 

"I had no fucking idea that my sister, a one Pistachio herself, was a nut. Never occurred to me once." Sasha snorted at his ignorance to such an amazing pun.

"I swear to god, if you didn't hear that as soon as you said it..." Fiona said, holding back a chuckle. Cinder punched his arm playfully, her fist clunking nonchalantly against the metal.

"Even I'm disappointed," she said, her voice not even sarcastic, "and you've managed to set the bar low over the last year or so." Hiding his face in his hands, he groaned loudly.

"Piss is your sister?" Vaughn asked Hazelnut as she tucked a matted clump of hair in the top of her hat, as of to hide it. She turned to him, slightly confused for a second.

"Yeah. Well, technically a sister from another mister, but it's like we're real sisters anyway. It's been me and her for as long as I can remember." She said, sitting back, throwing one leg to rest on her knee. Pistachio came back over, once again crawling over the table to get to her seat. "How'd it go?"

"Well, she said I'm not the first to murder in here, so that's good." She paused. "Her name's Astrid Rivers, by the by."

"Sounds fake." Cinder muttered, not really meaning it. She knew it was the truth. At least, Pistachio was telling the truth.

"Says 'Cinder Forest'." Rhys said, giving those eyebrows she hated.

"I will not hesitate to kill you." She said, not even glancing in his direction. He knew she was being serious. It was now that Astrid walked back over, carrying a tray, loaded with drinks. She passed them out to everyone. With a blank stare she gestured a hat tip to Pistachio. Pistachio returned it with her Fedora. "Aren't you guys, like, fourteen?"

"So what?" Hazelnut asked, taking a long gulp of her drink. 

"No age restrictions here, sucker! They're just as allowed as the old farts that show up sometimes!" Astrid called out from the jukebox. Both Hazel and Stachio smirked, picking up their cups and clinking them as if to toast their illegal act. Everyone tuned out to it. They were nuts both literally and in the terms of 'crazy'. Astrid was too. They all sat and drank and acted like it was nothing to be here at this time for a long time. At one point, Hazelnut got up to go change the juke song. Rhys leaned over the table and slid a twenty dollar bill towards Vaughn. 

"Bet you can't steal Hazel's hat."

"You're on." He whispered, taking it from the table. They watched as Hazel tipsily flirted with the cyborg bartender and made her way back to her seat, leaping over the back of the chairs back to her spot.

"He was nice." She said, leaning back. Astrid walked back over and took their cups. She looked them all over with a complex expression. She flicked her fringe for a moment.

"You know, there's a glitch going on with the bounty boards lately." She stated, planting her free hand on her leaning hip. "Ya know, I've seen most of you there before. Sasha, Fiona, Hazelnut, Pistachio. Not uncommon around these parts. But you three.." She pointed at Rhys, Vaughn and Cinder. "I don't believe what they're saying about you guys for a moment." The three exchanged worried expressions. 

"Uhh, what are they saying?"

"Well, first off, I would know that you other four are truthful to the boards. Con artists, mercenaries, thieves. All believable. And after your stunt yesterday, you prove your points." She said, giving Pistachio a solid glare. She paused and flicked her ponytail behind her shoulder. "But, 'King of the Bandits'? Sirens? Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me." Cinder had to stop herself from choking on air. "'King of the bandits' makes you sound like you're leading their rebellion against the Vault Hunters, but you look like someone who'd lead the rebellion to stop them." Vaughn blushed at her comment. She turned to Rhys and Cinder. "But..." She shook her head disbelievingly. "Sirens? Bullshit. How would they know anyway? And they can't use the 'BUT THE TATTOOS!' on me. Who cares if you have tattoos? That doesn't make you sirens." She sighed, shook her head and wandered off.

"Sirens? That's a bit off." Hazelnut said, prodding her Stetson further back on her head.

"I'm agreeing with Astrid, here. And it's more than 'off', Hazel." Sasha said, furrowing her brow. Pistachio turned and raised her brow at them.

"Is there something you aren't telling us? Nothing else there was a lie. Mercenary, yep. Thieves, absolutely. Con artists, hell yes. 'King of the bandits', I wouldn't put it past piss to do it."

"Hey!"

"I don't know. I think I'd know if I was a siren and the fact that they think I am is a bit of a revelation." Cinder said with a shrug, rubbing her pulsing tattoos as discreetly as she possibly could. Nobody dared to question her answer. It seemed quite clear that the bounty boards were lying. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a panicked look from Rhys. She hoped he was thankful for vouching for him too.

"Ok, but, what did Astrid mention about 'makes it sound like your leading their rebellion against the Vault Hunters'?" Fiona asked, clearly confused for once. Everyone shook their heads. Even Pistachio, somebody who had almost unlimited knowledge of these sorts of things, couldn't say for certain what Astrid had meant.

"Do you guys know the Crimson Raiders?" Astrid asked, having heard the question and the dumb silence that followed, generally passing by, wiping the table of a nearby booth.

"Not personally." Sasha said, accusation in her voice.

"What're you getting at?" Hazelnut asked, whacking away Vaughn's hand as he reached to grab her hat. "No touch, bitch."

"A wave of psychos attacked their base and obliterated them just under a week ago. Almost everyone was killed. There's still a few of them left, but, God, they can't go on."

"Related to the rebellion, how?" Cinder asked, brushing some hair from her face and leaning forward to better see the red haired girl.

"It's not just the Crimson Raiders, either. They managed to knock out a huge amount of the Vault Hunter groups. There isn't much left. There's been talk around here between them, saying that..." She hesitated. "Apparently, they're try to reclaim Pandora again, or something. I don't know, there's only so much I hear around here." She turned her attention to some other customers and left the seven to talk.

"Reclaiming Pandora? That's impossible!" Hazelnut whisper shouted.

"Not if the Crimson Raiders are dead." Fiona pointed out.

"We might be making a Skag Army, but that wouldn't even begin scratch the surface of a successful fight!" Pistachio replied.

"That's what they were talking about last night... With the Crimson Raiders down, it won't be long before they attack the civilians and retake it all." Cinder said, chewing her bottom lip.

"But why would psychos want to take Pandora for themselves?" Rhys asked, running an axioms hand through his hair.

"Why the hell did Jack want Pandora, Rhys? It's all for the power." Sasha said, murder in her voice.

"Or meat bicycles." Hazelnut joked, but, a part of her was being serious.

"Oh God." Cinder said, possibly too loudly.

"What now?" Rhys asked.

"After yesterday, it's no wonder we all have updated bounty notices. They're just trying to get us killed by Bounty Hunters."

"She's right! Sirens always have a major sum on their heads that lure a LOT of people. They're way against you guys."

"But, why us as the sirens?" Rhys asked in a pleading voice, using one hand to gesture to himself and Cinder.

"You stole the crap from them and Cinder was the first to kill." Vaughn pointed out.

"I didn't steal anything! That was Sasha!"

"I will not hesitate!" She yelled, raising her fist at him.

"If I have any more fights in here, I won't hesitate to kick you all out so you can take it outside!" The bartender yelled, Astrid turning to raise her thumb in approval to that.

"Alright, Josh! I'll keep em covered!" Hazelnut yelled, standing up and raising her own thumb at him. He nodded with a smile and turned as someone walked to the bar counter. Astrid once again found herself near their table, attempting to find another work related excuse to be near them again. "As we were saying..." 

"What's more to say? It's obvious people have it out for you guys. This isn't something you can do anything about." Astrid said, gesturing as she spoke. She paused for a moment and thought. "No, it's a lost cause..." She murmured to herself, biting her bottom lip.

"Maybe... Maybe it isn't?" Cinder questioned quietly. "Maybe there is something we can do..." Only Pistachio had heard her.

"And that would be...?" She asked the black haired girl.

"Look, it's not like someone is going to stand up to them. They're expecting that nobody is going to rebel against them now that all the major rebel forces are gone."

"Point being?" Rhys asked, audibly confused.

"No, I get where she's going! The seven of you could make your own rebel force." Astrid said, trying to explain what Cinder was saying.

"Couldn't have said it better, Astrid." She replied to the red haired girl. Astrid nodded. "I know it's an off chance, but, maybe..."

"We did take out an entire bandit camp yesterday..." Sasha uttered.

"I'm in." Hazelnut said, a smirk on her face.

"Me too." Pistachio said, hitting her sister on the shoulder. A round of approving nods fell across the table as everyone collectively agreed. Granted, many were hesitant and fearful of what would possibly come of them, but they all came around. 

"I could be of assistance, if need be." Astrid pointed out, a semi sarcastic tone in her voice.

"You're in." Cinder said with a smile.

"Wait, you're gonna let the barmaid we know, like, nothing about, be one of us?" She nodded in a simple reply to their question.

"Well, she hasn't said one lie this whole time... Pretty trustworthy to me." And for a moment, Astrid actually looked grateful. But the feeling halted as she had a thought.

"Whose gonna lead this whole thing?" She asked, but she wasn't waiting for an answer. "Cause, I think Cinder would be an interesting leader." Everyone was surprised at that. "What? None of you, but her, trust me, those two are insane," she pointed at Hazelnut and Pistachio, who nodded in agreement, "nobody can trust con artists and..." She paused for a disgusted moment, looking Rhys right in the eye, "what the hell is he gonna be good for?" 

"What about Vaughn?" Rhys asked, clearly not being offended. Vaughn had to pause for a confused moment.

"Wait... You mean cause he's 'King of the bandits'?" Astrid paused, hugging the tray she was holding close to her chest. "I dunno. I mean, he could technically lead us..." She was thoughtful, but only for a moment. She shrugged. "No... Cinder trusts me and therefore I must vouch for her."

"Thank you." A feeling of peace for this girl swept over her. Damn. She trusted someone once and it was... actually paying off. But, the feeling diminished in seconds as a crowd of Psychos made their new appearance at the bar very clear. "Oh for fuck sake." Astrid walked back over to the bar and stood beside Josh. It looked like they'd handled shit like this before.

"What'll it be boys?" Josh asked. His voice was heavily altered, obviously due to being cyborg. Taking their time, ambling along, they got up nice and close to the bar staff, proceeding to throw a large amount of yellowed papers at them.

"Seen em?" The lead Psycho hissed, his head spinning and scanning the room.

"Fuck. They're looking for us." Cinder murmured, hunching over in the booth. Hazelnut and Pistachio concealed their faces by pulling the rims of their hats down over their eyes.

"Well, isn't that just great?" Sasha asked half sarcastically. Out of their peripherals, it was obvious the two bartenders were denying whatever the Psychos were saying.

"Look, I would remember faces like those and I've never seen them in my life." Josh said rather loud. Astrid nodded in turn and turned walking over to their table. Astrid slipped a note onto their table and proceeded somewhere hidden. Fiona took the note, reading silently.

"What's it say?" Hazelnut asked, peeking out from beneath her hat, brushing some musty hair from her glasses.

"Astrid's gonna distract them. Then we can leave through the door she just went through... or something like that." They all sat silent, listening to Josh try to bargain with the Psychos, claiming he would have stored their faces in his memory as with every other person he had ever seen. Suddenly, Astrid exited the door, pushed jerkily through the sea of Psychos and went over to the jukebox. She insert a coin and selected a song. The song it was already playing cut off in a sudden motion, startling everyone. A soft tune began to play, at first a simple distorted ding of a few notes. But it quickly changed as a stronger sound began to play, repeating a sad yet powerful feeling. Astrid began to sing.

"Are you insane, like me? Been in pain, like me? Bought a hundred dollar bottle of champagne, like me? Just to pour that motherfucker down the drain, like me? Would you use your water bill to dry the stain like me?" 

"That's our cue." Hazelnut whispered. She was right. Every Psycho was distracted. None were even turned in their direction. Fiona and Sasha were the first to leave their seats, running swiftly and silently through the door. Something they must have learnt to make a good escape.

"Are you high enough without the Mary Jane, like me? Do you tear yourself apart to entertain like me? Do the people whisper 'bout you on the train, like me? Sayin' 'that you shouldn't waste your pretty face', like me?" The girl was silent and a short instrumental played. Rhys and Vaughn made a quick run for it, right through the door, leaving Cinder, Pistachio and Hazelnut behind.

"And all the people say, 'you can't wake up - this is not a dream. You're part of a machine. You are not a human being, with your face all made up, living on a screen. Low on self esteem, so you run on Gasoline!'" Pistachio jumped over her sister and ran to the doorway, quickly followed by Hazelnut. The two were almost silent, save for the faint clunk as Pistachio hit the floor after jumping. Cinder was enthralled in Astrid's sing, finding a relatability in it. 

"I think there's a flaw in my code. These voices won't leave me alone." Cinder made for the door, pausing in the open archway for a single moment.

"Well, my heart is gold and my hands are cold." She closed the doorway behind her, closing out the noise. The area was cramped, obviously meant for only about two or three people and boiling hot. The stench of alcohol made their eyes water, but there was nothing they could do to stop it. Crouching slightly from the narrow walkway and low roof, they made their way past many barrels and open tubs of brandy. As they each made their uncomfortable way through the room to the light at the end of the tunnel, a slag barrel caught Cinder's eye. She stopped stock still for a moment or so. Astrid was the last symbols. She was the slag barrel and red hair. 

Nobody else even seemed to notice her immobility as they all rested in without question - granted, she was up the very back of the line. The room only seemed to grow hotter and the light felt as if it went from a dim grey on everything about them to a red tint. It was unnerving. It was hard to believe it was real. But as a light struck through the room as the door was opened at the very end, the air about them seemed to be relieved of its heaviness and dank. It was almost blinding as they each reached the end of the tunnel, except for Hazelnut and the wide brimmed hat that she wore. She was still struggling against the light change anyway.

"That was close." It was Astrid. She was running down from beside the building, her hair whipping about her face. She slid to a halt. "Sorry 'bout that." She almost sounded sarcastic and it was hard to tell whether or not she was being truthful. She wasn't. "Now come on. The boss will kill me if she finds out I helped outlaws from our bar without even warranting a payment of any kind." As she said that, Hazelnut threw a few coins at the girl. Nearly dropping it all, Astrid brushed her fringe far enough from her eyes to reveal something extraordinary.

Her hidden eye was purple. The symbol for slag was burnt damn straight as a scar over that eye, the colour possibly being a secondary effect of that. "Anyway, what will our name be?"


	12. Epsilon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so begins the Epsilon Raiders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the third time I've tried to upload...
> 
> Fuck my iPad.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter.

The ruins of Helios were in considerably better shape than the last time Cinder had seen them. Many former Hyperion employees eyed the eight rugged bandits as they trudged along. Fitting. It was an odd sensation to be surrounded by people who didn't immediately want to murder you. "Don't mind them." Vaughn said, gesturing offhandedly as they passed them. He was immune to them by now, having been their leader for how long. 

"Umm, who is this?" A certain, catty employee asked as the eight entered the bulk of the ruins. 

"Nothing that concerns you, Yvette." It was Rhys who had spoken, a certain twinge of distaste in his voice. The woman shook her head as she looked them all over. She had seen half of them before, but these four new girls... She sneered and walked off somewhere, losing her patience too quickly. Pistachio returned the disgusted expression as she sat. But the air of annoyance and possibly accusation quickly met its end as two robots entered the area.

"Oh wow! Who are these guys?!" A small red and white robot yelled upon seeing the group. She rushed over to Pistachio, giving an enthusiastic introduction. "Hi there! What's your name?" She asked, putting her tiny robotic hands where hips would have been on the regular human anatomy. Pistachio poked her hat higher in her head and smiled. Jesus, this robot was fucking adorable.

"Pistachio." She said, giving the kindest smile even Hazelnut had ever seen. The robot seemed to gasp in happy surprise.

"Ooh, very fitting!" She yelled in that cute tone. Pistachio smiled and blushed as he robot rolled itself onto her leg.

"Umm, what's your name?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly. God, this was too much cute!

"The names Gortys, miss Pistachio!" Pistachio couldn't resist herself from scooping the little thing up and hugging it close to her chest. A hushed 'mine' could be heard, much to everyone's amusement, even to Gortys.

"Hi." The very automated voice of Loader Bot said, a simple gesture made to the entirety of them. Astrid gave the robot a stern look.

"How'd a Loader AI get into a, uhh, endoskeleton?" She walked over to the towering robot and looked up at it. Out of a strange habit, she uttered her name to it as she inspected its mechanical make up. "Guess it's not the worst to be part of another robot, I mean, there was a gun that was found using one..."

What was originally intended to be a meeting to kickstart something secretive and important turned into a bunch of mercenaries and criminals fangirling over a couple of robots like it was nothing - but everything at the same time. Eventually, after having her own moment of awe over Loader Bot's incredible structural make up, Cinder stood.

"Alright, alright!" She didn't have much else to say. Great leadership so far. It was mostly to get them to shut up at this point and as they all turned to her, now in silence, she breathed a sigh of relief. "So... Astrid, what do you know about the whole Psycho's rebellion? We're gonna need to know that in order to make a stand against them." Astrid gave an affirmative nod.

"Well, at least I can say it here..." She herself stood, to make her point more clear. "So, from what I've heard, the bandits rebellion had been happening under our noses since before the fall of Helios, oddly enough." She glanced around the room she stood in, cleared her throat and then continued. "Apparently, the way Vault Hunters and corporate employees and the general folk treat them is... Inadequate to their tastes. But, along the way, they realised it was because of their status as people and they became intact to the fact that they... REALLY want to rule Pandora."

"So, they're our typical, power hungry tyrant that wants to take over the world." Pistachio asked from her place on the floor, still clutching Gortys. 

"Exactly. And lately, they've actually made their strike. They took out the biggest possible resistance groups by mass numbers alone. And now, they're picking off the normal folk, one by one."

"You know, just thinking out loud here, where'd you get this information? I doubt Eridium Vault gets much gossip." Fiona asked, leaning in confused aggravation against the wall, her hat tipped just over one eye.

"Oh, you'd be wrong. Why would a ratty little barmaid and a cyborg bartender matter? They're gonna be disposed of soon enough, it's not like they even pay attention to their surroundings." Her voice that kind of sarcasm that gets overplayed to make the point. Fiona rolled her eyes in reply. Astrid shook her head and brushed her fringe away from her vibrant green eye, sitting herself back down. "That's really all I know." She finished. Cinder let out a humph of reply, thinking it intensely over. It was starting to make sense, but not.

"So, whadda we have to do?" Hazelnut asked, shooing Vaughn's hand away from her hat for what must have been the third time that day.

"I like to think we'd try to stop them." Vaughn uttered, giving the girl a hard stare.

"Okay, but... how exactly would we go about that?" Sasha asked, an eyebrow raised in question. Cinder glanced away. This was apparently very hard.

"We all do what we do best. We kill. We steal. We raid. We hideaway. We avoid being noticed." Cinder eventually managed to reason. Hazelnut have a nod.

"Seems fuckin legit, mate." She said, adjusting her frames on her nose. "Kill the Psychos, steal their supplies, raid their camps, hide when they look for us and avoid the general eye of the people." She said with a stern smile. Everyone collectively nodded.

"You know, you do make a good leader." Astrid said with a strong smile. Cinder returned it when she realised there wasn't a lie to be worked around. Their meeting continued, more land and better working out being made. Everyone listened to what Cinder had to say. Rhys was quick to make contributions. Fiona was the one to constantly question the sanity of everyone around her. Sasha lent her concepts for numerous battle techniques. Vaughn wouldn't stop staring at Astrid the whole time, who made it apparent she was only good with snipers. Pistachio vowed her skills in murder would be a general must. Hazelnut made it clear that her army wasn't all that ready yet, but she could provide whatever they might need.

The eight left the ruins late that day with a new outlook and a name they knew would be known sooner or later and hopefully by the right people only. They marched away as the Epsilon Raiders. And they marched away ready for whatever the road ahead was going to throw at them.

*

Cinder entered the Inn, her mind swirling with many things she didn't understand. She slammed the door closed behind her, blocking the quick chance of the others entering with her and glared at the front desk. Johnny wasn't there, as to be expected. She groaned through her teeth and stalked over to it, punching the still fried computer into life. When it didn't respond, she smacked her head into the desk and groaned, much louder this time. But, it was in this state that she heard something she never expected. It was a violin. It was a sweet tune. She didn't recognise it, but she followed it nonetheless, captivated in its melody.

She traced the sound to the break room. With a raised eyebrow, she turned the knob and jerked the door open, the sound growing much stronger and louder. There was nothing to be seen in the break room apart from the worn furniture and Alura - who was dusting off the TV cabinet. She gazed along the line of doors that dotted the back wall, her eyes glazed and her mind filled with the music. She edged over to the doors and noticed it almost immediately: the sound was coming from Johnny's room. She lingered in front of the door for a moment, before taking carful hold of the knob and spinning it as silently as she could muster. 

Peeking into the messy room, she searched for the source and as she found it, she felt the strange urge to giggle. There, in the centre of the room, dancing and playing like his life depended on it, was Johnny, rocking that violin. Danika sat on his bed, playfully bopping her head to the beat, a huge smile on her face. The last chords were struck against his bow and the song ended, proceeded by a chorus of compliments from Danika.

"I didn't even know ya played! You're so good!" Was just a small portion of her words. Cinder lingered in the doorway, a grin of her own marking her face as Johnny gave a bow. After everything she realised she was to deal with now that she was leading the Epsilon Raiders in a rebellion against a rebellion, this was a good way to end her day. She closed the door and leant against it, smiling. She had never thought her edgy friend would play an instrument like a violin, if he was to play an instrument at all. She slid down the door, her trench coat riding up against her thighs as she descended and covered her flushed face in her hands.

"I gotta admit, that was pretty good." She said to herself, though nobody heard her. She took her hands from her face and sighed, drinking in the familiar flavour the room offered to her every day. Alura scuttled over and tapped her boot, imitating a violin player with her front legs. Cinders smiled and rested her hand on the ground. The purple ball of fuzz crawled onto her hand lovingly and caressed her palm, like she always did. Cinder let out a giggle and stood up, setting the creature down on the bar counter, watching as it gestured and communicated in a way she understood but didn't.

Cinder became aware that someone was standing in the doorway of the break room. She glanced up and met those familiar, heterochromic eyes. All at once, she wanted to groan in frustration, smile from happiness, insult in a flirtatious way and punch him. Out of the four, she found herself going with the second urge, leaning against the counter and smiling at him. She knew it must have looked ugly and forced, but disregarded it. They were friends now. It didn't seem to matter much any more. Rhys ambled over and carefully watched the spider on the countertop.

"Who's this?" He asked. He recognised her of course, but Cinder didn't know that.

"Uhh, her name's Alura." Cinder stammered. Rhys set out his hand to the spider, who accepted it graciously. Cinder giggled. "She likes you." She whispered.

You mean, she's like you, Rhys thought for a moment. He didn't admit he knew about Cindy... Alura. He didn't admit he knew about Alura. He didn't know what it might cause, whether it be a general 'all fucking right then' or anything to getting his ass royally handed to him, he didn't risk it. Cindy gave him a look, one that said 'don't bullshit me here' and he knew what she meant. He acted like he had never seen this creature before and Cindy well knew it, but he made it seem like he was just an expert at this sort of thing (the reality being... No).

Cinder watched them both for a few solid minutes. She found herself staring at Rhys rather intently, accompanied by a harsh warmth in her cheeks. She shook her head to rid the feeling. It wouldn't go away. She felt childish and ... The moment was rudely interrupted as a high pitched sequel was heard from the doorway of Johnny's room. It was Danika, with a look on her face that spoke of trouble. Her face was pink, a twisted smile stitched across it. She eyed both Cinder and Rhys off for a moment or two, looking them up and down and so on for as long as she could. With a smirk and little giggle, she walked right past them and acted as if nothing had even happened. But as she left the break room, both could have sworn they heard her mumble something. They didn't know what it was, so they just hooked it was nothing too weird.

Cinder shook her head dismissively, the blush continuing to spread across her own cheeks. "Freakin Danika." She muttered, her embarrassment showing in the shaking of her voice. Rhys nodded, giving her that sheepish smile.

"Yeah." His voice was almost inaudible. He gazed at her for a moment, a longing look he'd been meaning to give her for so long, while wishing with all his being she didn't notice... She noticed, her face glowing brighter pink. However, she didn't address it, as much as it bugged her. He knew exactly what the look meant, but she had no clue. She guessed it was just to return her own strange stare from what must have only been two minutes beforehand.

That was a highly incorrect judgement on her part.

But she wouldn't figure out why until later on.

*

Later that night, while she caressed her damned siren tattoos, her mind could think of one thing; one person. She hated it. Anything to get her mind off of him, and yet, nothing she did seemed to work. She rolled over and glared at the doorway, giving it the stare she would give him whenever he would intrude. For a solid minute, she waited for it. For the door to fly open and for him to waltz in without any regard to her.

But he didn't come.

She choked on her disappointment, however, screwing her eyes shut and letting out a groan of frustration. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes fluttering as they stung in longing for sleep. She let out another moan, remembering that their first raid would be the next morning. She spun on the cover and buried her face in her pillow...

That smile. That face. That hair. The clothes. The charisma.

For a moment, she didn't even try to deny it. Then she did. She tried to convince herself against him. None of those things were good... Or attractive... Or anything she'd enjoy... Or... She denied it further. What if he found out? What if he didn't feel that way about her? She knew it was so petty to think these things, but her life wasn't a normal chick-flick. This was a one off.

She sat up and let out yet another groan, cupping her flushed cheeks in her hands. She masked her burning pink face in case anyone, maybe even him, were to intrude at that moment. Her hands shifted over her mouth as a stupid smile formed. It had happened when she thought of him. Taking her hands from her face, she rested her head against the wall. Her face was still red and she was still smiling, but she knew there was nothing she could do to stop herself.

Or stop how she felt about Rhys.

*

You do realise cupcake, it'll all be over before it's even freaking started! It won't take long. Don't you even try to deny it, princess! You'll be joining me soon... And in quick time, they all will too...

*

Breath heavy and sweat clinging to his shirts, that voice, haunting and far too familiar continued to fill his head, even as he was awake. He wished that voice was lying, but as far as he could tell, it wasn't to be taken with a grain of salt. It was a truth. He knew it. And he wished it wasn't. As a girl he seemed to know too well opened the door of his room and told him to get up already because they were about to go on their first raid for Epsilon, he flinched. As he tried to get up, the voice said one last thing to him...

She'll be the first one to join us.

The girl gave him a look, yet shrugged it off quickly. She beckoned him in frustration and hurried him as he took his time getting out of the bed before turning and slamming the door, her footsteps fading as she traversed the rest of her way.

*

Dawn was poking over the horizon line as the Skags began to march and footsteps began to pound on the desert floor. A distant battle cry could be heard from the mouths of many determined people. A battle was being struck. Tumbleweed Valley was almost silent save for these familiar sounds. Josh peered through the front window of the Eridium Vault. He was certain his audio detectors had found the sources to be far closer than expected, though their morning malfunction could have been the cause of that. He waved a message from his ECHO eye and rubbed at the metal to skin meeting line in curiosity. He brushed his black bangs from his eyes and adjusted the collar of his shirt, opening the door with hesitation. He never in his life had ever detected that many Skags all headed in one direction at once.

As token to this place, a tumbleweed bounced along the empty streets. The corner store squatted only a few stores down, where shady little Amelia was wandering about, glancing over to Josh with disgust. She was one to despise cyborgs in general, though she wasn't widely supported. Josh shrugged it off quickly, like always - her disposition wasn't something to be dwelled on. He looked around the town, at the bounty boards, the Catch-A-Ride, the gun station, the many apartment buildings, overflowing with assholes who wanted to rule Pandora. There was no sign of Astrid. A soft breeze was coming from his personal West, despite the walls of the valley that surrounded him and the town.

He cringed in his bulky jumper. Where was Astrid? He'd vouched for her yesterday, why another day? She ought to be back by now. In a fruitless attempt, he tried to call her. No pickup. Obviously busy... or sleeping. He heaved a sigh and leant against the doorframe. The entrance to the town could be seen just rounding the corner. He stared at it, a small flash of blue light bordering the corner of his Retina display. A second after the flash of coloured light, a Skag fluttered past the entrance. Then another. More and more passed the entrance, their clawed feet pounding against the ground at high speed.

What Josh didn't expect was to see a human run just past it. A girl with hair as black as the abyss itself and a trench coat of rich brown. He recognised her. Cinder. She was followed by many more people, once again that he also managed to recognised. Rhys. Fiona. Sasha. Vaughn. Name data invalid. Replacement: Hazelnut. Name data invalid. Replacement: Pistachio. He smirked at the final one. Astrid.

Josh turned back to the bar and walked back inside, a smile across his face. He had no idea what mischief they were all up to, but he knew it was nothing he should worry himself with. They seemed to have it covered.


	13. First Raid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first raid of the Epsilon Raiders commences. And it goes successfully, the night bring on something unexpected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know about this chapter, but I finished it and was like, know what? Let's upload it. But I don't know if it's really good. If it's not obvious, I haven't played the main series. I've bullshitted so much of this story...
> 
> I hope it's good anyway

They didn't have it covered at all, really.

It took no time at all for the battle to begin. Many Psychos ambled around their camp, dreary as they kept a recon watch in the early morning. But, the plan of bringing the army of Skags had been a mistake, for the unmatched quake the sands beneath them caused had been a warning. But the far off sniper shot that quick took three head shots, it was clear they were being attacked... And they didn't hesitate to get some sweet payback!

Astrid quickly took down the three sentries on their makeshift and cruddy towers, hoping to be rid of their own shotgun formed wrath early on. The call was good a good one to make - no psycho was smart enough to put replacements. Pistols a blazing with bullets flying every direction, the battle was beginning.

Astrid stood crouched prepared to make any sniper shot she needed, even if it meant a stealth shot from the ground. Hazelnut, Pistachio and Thomas were standing, backed up by Skags, out in the open, making themselves the baited targets. Hazelnut had said she had a good plan. She gave a brief towards Pistachio before executing the plan.

"LOOK AT ME, IM A TARGET!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Almost every raider cringed and wished it wasn't her to come up with distraction plans, apart from one. They understood the reference.

But, somehow, the Psychos were stupid enough to fall for it.

All bullets were aiming at the sisters and their towering Skag. "Best be off now!" Hazelnut yelled, jumping and lodging one leg around the Skag. She tipped her Stetson approvingly, raising her gun. Pistachio removed the gun from her holster, an insane grin flashing her young face. The Skag and Pistachio both ran forward, their own guns firing with every bit of ammo they had. Visibly, they were hit multiple times, but shook it off as if nothing had hit them to begin with. The question of how exactly came to everyone's mind, but they chose to discount it. They would have had their ways at this point. 

Cinder broke from her crouch, gesturing for them follow as she ran for an abandoned shack near the camp, one where they could make a good shot with nothing but the pistols they had. Astrid stayed behind her tin cover, moving into defence to stop anyone who should try to stop her leader and fellow raiders, Rhys staying as well, due to his lack of weapons - all he had was his stun baton, which wouldn't be helpful in this kind of mission. One Psycho broke away from the camp, running straight at the Skag and teenagers, spiked mace swinging from his wrist.

Gritting her teeth, Cinder aimed while she ran, shooting multiple times at the sprinting bandit. It seemed to trip for a moment, before it collapsed, landing right on the mask. Cinder took no time to celebrate the kill as she continued to dodge the many bullets that still flew in her direction. In a second, she was at the shack, back flat against the wall, catching her breath. Fiona and Sasha were close behind, taking no longer than she had, both doing the same. Peering through the gap in the wall, it was clear how close they were now... And how good an aim they had on almost everyone.

With a nod, the three stood, aimed and began open fire. In seconds, almost ten of the bandits were reduced to nothing but bullet holes. By this point they had noticed the three girls and began firing in their direction. All three collectively dropped to the ground, watching as bullets found a home above their heads, ricocheting off the back wall. There was a yell as Astrid was struck, and without hesitation, Cinder peeked out the rear door of the shack back to where Astrid and Rhys were positioned. The girl was clutching her arm in pain, her face screwed against the exertion. There was a sharp cry and from the corner, she watched Vaughn leave position to help her. She groaned and went back to an assault position, cursing Rhys under her breath. Good job.

Fiona saw her chance and stealthily took down two bandits with one shock bullet. Literally killing two birds with one stone, except the birds are murderous bandits and the stone is a bullet. Nonetheless, it was a kill to be proud of. Hazelnut and Pistachio had reached the camp by now and we're making inside kills, a barrage of Skags flanking them to assist in the murder. Cinder nodded at the women beside her and in a moment, they were joining the action.

More Psychos began pouring from the shacks, much to everyone's surprise. But none of them faltered. Skags fell, shrieking all around them, making Hazelnut's brow furrow in anger. She screamed in anger, throwing her hat off and running forward on Thomas, her gun a literal blaze as hundreds of flame bullets exited the barrel. Many Psychos began running about, their bodies alight with fire. The screaming was truly deafening. Hazelnut and Pistachio seemed almost immune as they continued to attack and murder with precision, as if this was nothing new to them, but everyone else was fairing much worse.

Astrid, having had Vaughn quickly tend to her shot forearm, readied her gun another time with six new sniper cartridges. 

"This is so risky." She uttered. She stood and began running to the shack, her gun strapped to her back already. "You two get them from the opposite direction, where you were going before! Go! While they're distracted!" She shouted after her. She was hoping to get some sneak kills from the shack, which she had watched become abandoned as the pandemonium had begun. She reached the shack in seconds and as she readied her gun into a hit position, she watched Rhys and Vaughn stumble back to their original position, Rhys obviously only going there for the first time. Rolling her eyes, she looked through her green tinted scope and aimed.

One shot down. Two shot down. Shit. Third shot miss. Fourth shot another miss. She hissed and but her tongue as she aimed one more time. Fifth shot down. Sixth shot down. She reloaded her ammo, taking her time as normal. She went for another shot, only for a Skag to block her view. Wonderful. She wasn't going to risk the wrath of the Hazelnut today. She waited for it to jump away and off to another kill, but it didn't happen. It stayed out. She groaned loudly, unhappy with her newfound predicament.

"So, what are we doing from here?" Rhys asked as they finally reached their spot. Vaughn pulled his gun from the sling on his back, his face set.

"We shoot." He said rather simply. The gun flared as shots came quick as he pulled the trigger.

"Yeah. Great. When I don't have a gun."

"Well bro, you could have stayed back at the vantage point. Your loss." More shots and more kills. There couldn't have been many more now. A familiar Stetson fluttered into view, landing on the ground as Hazelnut braced herself better for battle. "Remind to grab that when this is over." Rhys stayed silent. He was certain one of the Psychos had spotted him.

"Umm, bro?" He tapped his short friend on the shoulder. 

"What?" Vaughn sounded more than frustrated at being interrupted from a good shot. Rhys pointed nervously at the Psycho. It was ambling for now, but... It was running at them. They both cowered back, not knowing if a gun would match a giant and constantly swinging axe.

"This is how we die!" Rhys yelled, clutching his friend tightly. 

"No it isn't!" Cinder's voice cut through. Suddenly, she landed in front of them, gun pointed at it. Maybe two or three bullets later, it fell, complaining of this cruel world as it died. Cinder turned to them and wiped blood from her face. Her face wasn't happy. It was deadpan. Vaughn faked a smile. She didn't react, she merely jumped again, leaving them there. 

The battle didn't last much longer, Sasha taking the last kill. No more Psychos came running for them. There was nothing but blood stains and the crackling of fire. Cinder smiled.

"Take whatever you can find! Guns, ammo, food, anything. Raid this place." She commanded, everyone separating to obey the command. First raid, successful.

And if they thought that had been difficult, they were in for a tough surprise. It was only going to get worse.

*

Back at the Inn, later that night, Vaughn was once again assisting Astrid with her arm. They sat in the dining area, along with almost everyone else. Cinder was off doing something and Pistachio had been called out for a personal mission of hers. Somebody wanting some assassination done. Typical, she called it.

"I don't think it needs this much attention. It's just one wound." Astrid said with raised eyebrows, brushing some of her fringe from her eyes.

"I don't care." Was all he had in reply.

"Nice." Cinder and Danika came from the kitchen, Danika alight with excitement.

"Why is that you get to go do awesome shiiiiit? I never go anywheeere."

"You could join us. Not sure everyone would agree, but you could." Cinder said back to her friend, her black eyebrows raised in amusement. Astrid caught sight of Danika and asked the right kind of question.

"So, who's this bitch?"

"Not a bitch, for one thing. And her name is-" Cinder was cut off as Danika answered.

"It's Danika Dcera Lucifer! Nice meeting you!" Danika said, making an introduction for the first time. Hazelnut turned to a random spot and could be heard muttering,

"Honestly, I don't know if that's foreshadowing or just a coincidence at this point." Having caught what she said, Astrid proceeded to ask,

"Foreshadowing? Foreshadowing for what?" Hazelnut was hesitant to reply.

"Nothing." She groaned. Whispering now, she said to herself, "I thought I was into something that time. Gott dang es. Ich bin sicher, dass dcera etwas Wichtiges bedeutet." She slipped into randomly speaking a foreign language, confusing everyone around her. 

"Right..." Astrid finished up. She noticed Vaughn's gaze on her. She gave him a strange look, suddenly noticing the bruise on his temple. "Wait, when'd that happen?" She asked, reaching out to touch it. He batted her hand away in amusement, but didn't get to answer.

"Tried to steal my hat, the little fucker."

"She punched me when I picked it up for her."

"You were stealing it, mate!" Hazelnut was certain he had been trying to steal it.

"Bro, I was there. You were stealing it." Rhys clarified, a certain joy in his tone.

"Shut up."

"Why the fuck would you steal her hat?" Astrid was genuinely curious.

"Because he has a death wish." Sasha made her opinion known and it was quickly taken to be truth. Even by Danika. And Johnny who randomly decided to join the party. Hazelnut hugged her hat close.

"If a death wish is what ya got, mate, I will happily oblige."

*

The night had changed and almost everyone had gone to rest. But as always, Cinder wasn't sleeping. And as always, Rhys was with her. But this time at least, they weren't joking around.

"Seriously? You didn't even try to help us! Not even a motivating word? You really are useless!" She said to him, her book still clutched in her hand. He gave her an annoyed look.

"Well, not everyone is the knight in shining armour, Cinder. Sometimes, there has to be a damsel."

"Fine. But in most cases, the damsel is being saved, not fighting and if you aren't a knight in shining armour, be a warrior in battle armour! Seriously though, you just called yourself the damsel in distress. Fitting, after the display you put up."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Uh, you had a stun baton?! It's not there as your weapon to look pretty and make electricity, Rhys! You could have used that! It's for melee combat, too!"

"That... Didn't cross my mind." His voice was suddenly much quieter, as if he had realised how badly he had fucked up. There was a frustrated silence between them. This seemed to happen way too often nowadays. "Why didn't you like, siren something?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No? It would have made things a lot easier."

"Of course it would have made things easier! Need I remind you of something, though? What am I trying to do? What are YOU trying to do? None of them will look at us the same way if they find out about us. We're freaks, as far as they're concerned! If I 'sirened' something, what would have happened? More than just easier kills, Rhys!" She slammed her palm to her face. Rhys felt like an idiot, suddenly... Remembering. God, he was being slow today.

"I'm sorry." Cinder glared. Lies.

"You aren't."

"What else can I say, Cinder? That I'm an idiot? I don't want to admit that."

"Well, you just did." Yet another silence. Cinder wanted to close the silence, stop their bickering and talk to him like they used to, but she doubted it could be so. Her tattoos ached for the first time that day, but she found the pain almost unbearable. God, it seemed to take hold on everything. It stung like a hellfire was coursing through it.

A voice filled her head. To her surprise, it wasn't malicious. They sounded... Sweet. Calming.

Don't push him away. You need him just as much as he needs you.

Cinder felt clammy and her breaths grew short and shallow. Rhys was concerned for her, unable to comprehend her sudden change in behaviour. She looked... He didn't know how to describe it. She looked tense and stressed and sad all at once. She was... Miserable. There was the word. Simply miserable.

He got the urge to tell her. He bit his tongue, literally, preventing himself in a forceful way. The taste of blood filtered in, but he ignored it. If he said something now... That was the last thing he needed to do. Cinder caught the stare he was giving her.

"The fuck are you staring at?"

"Your hair. I've always wondered how you get it like that." She wasn't convinced. She wasn't convinced at all. He knew that lie detector implanted in her brain was probably beeping at her for that. But he didn't falter. He was ready to keep up his act.

"Right." Her voice was an almost whisper. What a fucking lie. He hadn't even tried to make an excuse. He pulled that out of his ass for sure. But she didn't fight. She didn't really care anymore.

She set out her hand before her, her tattoos glowing, unfortunately. It was a half assed glow, not much to it, but it existed. She sighed.

"I didn't siren something today because I don't even know how to use my powers yet." 

"Wait what?"

"I don't. I don't know what it is, I dont know how to control it." She was ashamed, her cheeks flushing with pink. He gazed at her, blinking as if blinded. Then, he sat down beside her.

"Guess it's time we changed that." He took her left hand with his, a jolt running up their arms at the contact. Cinder might have been angry, but it quickly changed to fascination. From beneath the fabric of their long sleeves, their tattoos began to glow brilliantly, like never before. A spark formed at Rhys's fingertips, startling Cinder, but she didn't not pull away.

"Electricity..." She whispered, her voice a hushed sigh. He nodded. That was from him. The power of electricity. He clenched her hand tighter, to which she resisted. The indigo of her tattoos glowed brighter and she felt as pain shoot through them. Suddenly, a light of sorts spawned from her own fingertips. Rhys pulled away from her quickly and watched the light. It was a dark colour, yet it radiated. Cinder flexed her palm in surprise and watched as the light expanded and changed before her hand. This was the first time she had any control over it, let alone known what it was.

"Amazing." She looked utterly confused. "Look, don't worry about it. You'll get there." His words meant nothing to her. She still didn't understand. She would try to.

"But how can I control it?" There was a silence that lasted long enough for the energy before Cinder to disappear. Rhys hesitantly let go of her hand, a disappointment flowing over him. He didn't know how to answer, only proving the point Cinder had previously made. For what must have been a second, yet another determination flared within him, but it burned low in milliseconds. How many times had he dreamed of doing that? Something for her and failed?

Getting to know her was one of them. Just that. And he was still trying. To know what was behind that mask of hers. He was still trying. If he were to try and help her with her powers... He knew it was too impossible of a task. He knew nothing of her power, just as she knew nothing. Besides, he barely knew how to control his own power, let alone someone else's.

Cinder wanted this silence to end and opened her book once again. If there was nothing more to say, she wasn't going to let it seem like there was. Her eyes fell upon the many words the author had written. The words washed over her in a relieving moment. She looked up momentarily, just managing to see her door being closed. Rhys was gone.

She threw the book down on her bed and covered her face with her hands. She had been here before, denying her love. Why? Why did she suddenly care so much about him? And even with all these fights, these disagreements, his utter, fucking, uselessness? Denial seeped through her tired mind. It mostly disgusted her that after, what, nineteen years(?) of denial to love after what happened to Maria and everything with her parents, she was in love. She had fallen for someone.

It was disgusting.

She refused it.

*

And as he sat alone in his room that night, Rhys refused it too.


	14. Base Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Epsilon Raiders find out where Hazelnut and Pistachio live

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a funny chapter for you all, nothing too brutal to your senses.
> 
> Also, I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to upload. My wifi is crappy and kicks me off as soon as I go to submit the new chapter.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy

"Hey! I think I found our next mission spot!" Astrid yelled, bursting open the door of the dining area. Many random onlookers raised their eyebrows in surprise, having not expected a short red haired bartender to explode through the doorway. She giggled nervously, giving them all an awkward wave. "Oh hey. I'm not crazy, just looking for someone..." She giggled a bit more. The kitchen doorway opened and Danika emerged looking tired, Cinder behind her, a mug of steaming coffee in her hand.

"You rang, Astrid?" She said, walking over to the girl and sipping the hot liquid from the cup.

"Uhh, yeah. I found these two camps not too far from each other, but they're rivalling camps. They see one getting raided, they'll be cheering us on."

"Yes. And when we go to the second camp?"

"Just the same as always." What Astrid said was right. Just the same as always. So far, the Raiders had managed to get through seven successful raids on full bandit camps and three on warlord fortresses. Needless to say, they were earning themselves a name. The Epsilon Raiders was the newest fear striker for Psychos nowadays. After taking another gulp of coffee and wiping some off her burnt lip, Cinder nodded. 

"Looks like we got another raid." Astrid gasped and fist pumped to herself.

"Wait, forgot to mention, it's pretty far away. We might need to stop at Base Camp for a night, then go the rest of the way."

"Base Camp?" Cinder wasn't concerned about the fact that it was far. It didn't matter at all, really. But this 'Base Camp' didn't ring a bell.

"Oh yeah, that's where Hazel and Stachio live. Thought 'base camp' fitted two hustlers who were making an army." Astrid explained with a smile. She was slightly concerned, however, since Cinder should have known that by now. Hadn't the girls mentioned it sometime beforehand? Astrid shook it off.

"How's the arm?"

"Better than before." Astrid was still recovering from being shot in the arm. "But I will say you guys shouldn't have worried like you did. I've been through worse."

"Worse?"

"Let's just say... I've been slagged before." Cinder's spine crawled with uneasiness as Astrid said that. The image of the slag symbol burnt into her purple eye. 

"But, you will be good to fight in the next raid?"

"Of course."

"Good. I need you back on sniper."

*

A soft breeze ruffled Cinder's hair as she sat staring at the sky later that day. Once again, a nightmare had brought her here, to her safe haven above all her problems. Alura skittered across the tiles to her, her purple fur brushing against Cinder's bare leg to comfort her. By now, Alura knew a scary amount about her owner and wasn't afraid to make use of it. But Cinder barely noticed the spider by her side. She focused on keeping her tears behind her eyes.

Cinder hugged her thighs to her chest, leaning her chin on her knees, looking out over the mountains that surrounded her and the desert floor that stretched for seemingly endless miles. Some Skags ambled along, one leaping about like lunatic, two more dicking around behind it and one that prowled like it meant business. Obviously some of Hazel's troops, Cinder was beginning to realise. She recognised a Rakk crowing relentlessly in the distance.

Tiles shifting near her made Cinder look back to where the ladder would be and as she recognised the person who was making their way carefully towards her, she didn't even bother to show emotions. She couldn't be bothered right now. Rhys sat down by her, but didn't speak, much to her surprise. He was normally all talk, but this was.... It was actually a nice change. One she knew never to get used to, but it was nice for the time it lasted. And for minutes, they enjoyed the silent company from one another, the breeze messing whatever tame they had in their hair, their eyes diverted to the darkly outlined horizon.

After a long while, most shamefully - the author must add -, Cinder found herself staring at him, heat rising in her cheeks simultaneously. Rhys caught the stare almost instantly, returning it without a thought. Their gaze didn't break for a long while.

"Nothing's going to be the same after this." The words left her without a thought.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. I just know it will be."

"Dream?"

"Yeah." The dream had been vague, but as always, Cinder knew what it meant. Danger. It was warning. Cinder hated to think of the possibilities, but no possibility for this warning of danger had gone unnoticed by her. She wished some of the worse wouldn't come to pass, but a part of her knew deep down they would. Once more, Cinder was consumed with these horrid thoughts that she had gone to the roof to escape.

Rhys noticed this. By now, he knew her expressions well. There were some things - he was thankful - that she didn't hide. Pain, fear, sadness were the things she hid. Happiness, anxiety and deep thought were not things she hid very well. And judging by her face, she was defiantly in deep thought. He took hold of her hand with his own. He felt the light spark as their skin connected, but he ignored it. To his surprise, she didn't pull away from his grasp, or even flinch at the movement. She let him do it. She found no reason to stop him from doing it.

He decided to scan her. The data filed into his Retina display. Name: Cinder. Age: 20. Occupation: Inn Keeper/Raider. Current Mood: A combination, most notably embarrassed, anxious and bashful. Other notes: gorgeous ray of darkness, most defiantly insane, totally not your lifeline. 

He cut off the data load before it could go full circle, knowing the sort of thing it would end up saying. He half wished she hadn't noticed him scan her, not that she would have done something about it. 

And there they sat for the hours that led to sunrise. Silent... And content.

*

"Well boys, welcome to Base Camp!" Hazelnut proclaimed as the caravan stumbled to a weary stop. It looked... Exactly like a bandit camp. A... big bandit camp.

"You sure?" An unsure voice came, though it was unclear who had asked. Hazelnut turned around and met everyone's eyes.

"When ya've lived here all ya fucking life, I think you'd be pretty sure." Her voice was low and considerably dangerous. Everyone was silent as Fiona stopped the car. Hazelnut was the first to jump through the door of it, happy to be back on home ground after... What must have been a week and a half. "OH CECIL!!!" She called and a Skag came tripping over and unsteadily from within the camp. He was followed by around five more. "I'd like you all to meet protector Skags, Cecil, Baguette, Karen, Vicki, Mark and Walter." She looked at them all lovingly, much to everyone's confusion. "If you're all as dumb as you're acting, they keep watch over Base Camp when Stachio and I are away." The one with white specks along its flank - Cecil - nudged her jeaned leg. "What is it boy?" She asked, crouching down to meet him at eye level. Pistachio tramped forward.

"While Hazel gets the one o one of our absence, I'll show you around." She beckoned them bluntly over shoulder, walking straight past Hazelnut and her Skag band. A loud thumping of feet marked that Thomas was just catching up with them. With hesitation, every one followed, awkwardly moving past the five Skags that were eyeing them off aggressively. Pistachio led them past the initial few buildings of the camp. She led them through the camp, making a backhanded gesture almost the entire time. "Don't mind all this. This isn't the actual base camp, but it scares others away." 

Eventually they reached a blocked area, many fallen rocks having landed there. "This way." Pistachio said bluntly, climbing the rocks. Awkwardly and with varying degrees of skill, they each made their way after her. Just as they all reached the top, Hazelnut was back and following them.

"And here, my friends, is the true Base Camp!" Pistachio said with confidence, adjusting her Fedora with a sassy prod of her finger. It was actually quite amazing. There were still plenty of bandit houses, but combined with that was the hole marked walls, one Catch-A-Ride and fast travel station at each end of the small camp and Skags ambling in and out of their holes, all of which Hazelnut called to an obeying sit. It was amazing to look at, to see what these young teenagers had done in the short amount of their - already small - lifespan. 

Cinder felt an unwanted nostalgia sweep over her as she saw it, though she couldn't remember what for. Deja-vu would better describe the feeling. Maybe it was like the shire... She couldn't be sure. 

"Youse can stay in one of those houses. We don't use 'em, so we don't mind." Hazelnut said with a flick of her hair, already climbing down the other side to the camp, hat clutched in her hand. Pistachio quickly followed her, skilfully sliding down the rocks as if she had done it thousands of times - she most likely had. Awkwardly, everyone began to follow, unsure of a safe path down, mostly just trying to follow in the short girls footsteps. When they reached the bottom, both were waiting, Pistachio fiddling with Hazelnut's matted hair playfully.

"Now here folks, is the- oh my god!" Everyone waited for a follow up, knowing she would spout it soon enough. "How?! Your eyelashes?! How do they get longer and sexier every time I see you?! It's ridiculous!" Hazelnut nearly fell over in annoyance. "Do you guys see that?!" She screamed loudly, yanking off her sister's glasses, much to her protests. Nobody could really see since they were fighting over the glasses, so they just nodded in agreement.

"Before she was interrupted by my eyelashes," Hazelnut intentionally paused to glare at Pistachio, who was prying at her own eyelashes, "Pistachio was saying, this is basically where the magic happens." She looked out with her hands on her hips. With a flick of her wrist, she beckoned them forward. After a minute or two of walking, they reached a few ruddy house like structures. The two nutty girls tested the basics of it for safety before turning and making I obvious that this was where they were staying.

"We know it's no Epsilon Inn,"

"But it's better than sleeping outside. I mean,"

"It could be worse." They finished each other's sentences in an odd way. They each stepped past the girls and into the shacks. They were better on the inside, to be truthful. There were old mattresses that looked well enough and it appeared to actually have a foundation, despite the outside look - to which it seemed to be nothing more than a few pieces of scrap metal propped against each other to mockly mimic a house.

"If youse need us, we'll be over there, in that shack." Hazelnut finished off, jerking a thumb to a secluded little shack not far off. Everyone gave a strained nod to confirm they took in the information and the two were off. They hadn't realised it, but sunset had been cast upon the sky. 

*

In the centre house, everyone sat around a fire, huddled up against the sudden cold front. Maybe it was just around here. Until they remembered that this wasn't far from the bio dome, where not only Rhys managed a whole company, but was also constantly covered in snow. Despite the desert, it was freezing. Outside, the sky was dark and speckled with a small amount of stars. 

Apparently, this place had no electricity. None at all. Absolutely none. Nothing to power lights, or the old health machine. The only thing that used it was the Catch-A-Ride and fast travel and it wasn't like they could just hack into that and get electricity. Also, there was nothing to eat, something they were all rather annoyed about. At the moment, they were deciding on which unfortunate soul would go see the girls about getting something.

"I volunteer... Rhys as tribute." 

"Why do I have to be tribute?"

"Because reasons, bro,"

"Why don't you do it then?"

"Absolutely not."

"I think Astrid should do it."

"Why me?"

"Because... Your a girl... And closest to their age out of this group."

"Wrong. That would be Cinder."

"Nope. I'm not doing it. And thanks. You just informed everyone that the third youngest here is the leader."

"Hey, it was my fault you became leader."

"Yes, it was Astrid"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, I think Vaughn should do it."

"Again, why?"

"Because your short."

"Astrid, you're not that much taller than me."

"Still shorter."

"What does height have to do with this?"

"I don't know. Also, you've proven you can resist them if they attack."

"You know, she isn't lying, bro."

"I hate you all so much right now." He stood with that. It wasn't worth fighting. By the looks literally everyone was giving, they all seemed happy with the decision to send him out. He opened the wonky door and shivered against the cold as it hit him with full force. There wasn't even a breeze, yet it felt like wind. He ignored it as best he could and squinted to see the shack where the girls would be. He closed the door upon sighting it, wishing not to hear them complain about the cold if he left it open.

It took no time at all to reach the shack and he opened the door with a hidden happiness. But what he saw... Was not what he expected or wanted to see. Instead of a small shack house, there was the wall of stone with a gaping hole in it, Thomas, a table, a shelf with some framed photos and no Pistachio or Hazelnut to be seen. With a sigh, he looked at the photos with a certain curiosity, though he couldn't see them through the darkness. There was a light from within the hole in the wall, so he naturally assumed that's where they were... Really? He had to crawl down there?

Vaughn looked over at Thomas with distaste. "Why?" He asked the motionless Skag, not waiting for - or expecting - an answer. He crouched down with yet another sigh and began crawling down the cramped tunnel. Good sending him out, or they probably would have been stuck. It was actually uncomfortably small. And somehow, there was quite a distance between him and the light.

It was a great relief to finally reach the other side, like a great struggle lifted. And as he crawled out the other side, he sighed pleasingly and looked around. This seemed more accurate... But it was still different. It was a cave, for a matter of fact. A clean looking mattress sat in the corner of the room, two contrastingly filthy pillows set up messily at its head. Just beside was a sort of doorway with a curtain. In the opposing corner there was a counter, hanging pots and pans, all of which looked beat as hell and a few hanging cabinets, ones that were hopefully bolted to the wall. A few more shelves littered the walls, all of which contained more photos and the occasional other bit and bob. There stood two boxes of clothes against a wall, one labeled in red marker 'satan's' and the other in scratches 'lil shit's'.

Hazel and Piss looked completely at home, both not wearing much at all. Pistachio wore an old looking, loose shirt and short shorts and was lounging by a fire, stirring a boiling pot of what appeared to be pasta. Her blonde hair wasn't tied in its usual ponytail and was instead flowing freely about her neck and shoulders. Hazelnut was standing and retrieving something from a hanging cabinet, wearing even less: a crop top and shorts that stopped just after her hanging arm length. In contrast to Pistachio, her hair wasn't down like usual, but instead chucked high on her head in a messy bun, a lot of leftover hair flicking to one side and a few strands flowing down away from it. Obviously not effort went into that. 

The most surprising part was that they weren't wearing their hats. Those were chucked in the corner. It was odd seeing them without the hats. Without the constant shadow over Pistachios eyes and rugged look of Hazelnut. It was gone. And in the corner, the contrast of the hats was pleasing to the eye. Something as vintage and classy as a fedora sitting carelessly beside a western and rugged Stetson cowboy hat.

And somehow, neither had noticed him. Or they were both simply choosing to ignore. He stood, finally, running an awkward hand through his tasseled hair. "Uhh, hey." Hazelnut turned around holding a random spork and Pistachio looked up with a blank expression. As they didn't speak, he decided to just say it instead of waiting for an invite. "So, they're crying from hunger over there. So they sent me to ask about food." Pistachio stood and walked over to a crate that Vaughn hadn't noticed.

"Got a fire in there?" She asked over her shoulder as she grabbed something for it.

"Yeah. We'd be freezing to death otherwise."

"Hazel, you wanna grab some blankets for em?" Pistachio asked her sister, who nodded, put the spork down and disappeared through the translucent curtain. Pistachio tossed some somehow mould-less vegetables and a chunk of meat over her shoulder at Vaughn, who caught it with disgust. "Cook that shit up real good and you got yourselves a stew that'll be worthwhile."

"How do you survive without electricity out here?" Pistachio thought for a second, before giving a meagre shrug.

"Haven't really needed it for much, so we don't get it." He found it hard to believe as Hazelnut appeared with a few large blankets.

"This should keep ya warm in the cold months. It's hot in here all year round, but not in those shacks." She explained as she shoved them through the entrance hole and continued pushing them. Trying not to let the food touch the ground, Vaughn followed her back out as best he could. Emerging at the other side was a victory once more. Hazelnut kicked the door open since her arms were occupied and made her way blindly to the other shacks. "Would you mind getting the door, mate?" She sighed as the realised she psychically couldn't open the door. With a roll of his eyes, Vaughn opened it for her. She squinted at him in annoyance. "Fahr zur Hölle."

Dumping them on the floor, Hazelnut adjusted her glasses and watched the six of them for a good while. Cinder took charge of the food, knowing how to handle it surprisingly well, even requesting a pot, though Hazelnut wouldn't oblige for one. She intentionally let her bra strap fall over her shoulder as she carelessly watched, not wanting to fix it, though none of them would have cared about it if they saw. As sleep begged at her eyes and hunger ached in her slightly bloated stomach, she left the house, gritting her teeth against the bitter cold. Upon entering the shack, she gave Thomas a gentle pat on the head, yawning pathetically all the while.

The smell of pasta beckoned her back home and she crawled back through the Skag hole, Thomas following her as he did every night. She thrust aside her worries for the others and returned to life with her sister.


	15. Fateful raid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The much anticipated double raid.
> 
> But it's more than just a raid. 
> 
> In fact, it's... Less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND CHAPTER 15 HAS ARRIVED
> 
> AND OH BOY
> 
> DO YOU GUYS HAVE SOMETHING COMING
> 
> I THINK ILL JUST LEAVE YOU GUYS TO READ IT

They all left Base Camp early the next morning, eager to be off on the next raid. However, one person wasn't pumped about it... It was Cinder. She looked as if she hadn't slept a wink at all in the night, and so she looked positively shitful. Not fit for a raid, yet even through her unopening eyes and croaky tone, she made it clear she was going to lead this raid like she always did. They all made a silent note to keep track of her until the raid, hoping she would choose to get some sleep in the ride there.

She didn't bother with getting any extra sleep. It wasn't worth the nightmares.

The ride was still tedious, despite the stop at Base Camp. With nothing more to do than shift drivers and wait for your turn at the wheel, they all had to cut their losses and attempt to occupy themselves. Pretty well everyone chose to tend to guns, loading them with ammo, counting bullets or cleaning the barrels of stale blood. Once again, Cinder wasn't a part of this. She instead sat on the roof, letting her skin burn under the hot sunlight.

And finally the words of confirmation were said. "Well, here it is."

Th caravan came just into sight of two camps. She had been correct in saying the camps were rivalling, as it was obvious a brawl was already on the rise between them. This was going to be difficult. What if instead being able to take each camp down one by one, they both turned against the raiders...? They wouldn't stand a chance. That was far too many to deal with. Waves of hundreds of Psychos against eight common bandits...

The odds weren't in their favour.

"So, what's the plan here?" Another situation in which the speaker remains unknown.

"We attack the camp on the right. It's smaller and clearly weaker. We draw the trust of that camp and pretend to leave after raiding for supplies. We go a quarter way back to Base Camp and call the Skags for tonight. We strike at midnight."

"How long were you thinking of that plan?"

"About thirty seconds."

"Works for me."

*

Apparently, if only one had walked into that battle, they could have still walked out victorious. Utter childs' play it had been. Literally nothing to it... And nothing but a waste. They had lost more ammo than they had earned by the end of the raid and they were all left wondering how the bandits had even managed to last as long as they had. Spike shields, probably.

They left disappointed and with another camp's eyes on their backs. It seemed a tad queer for things to have gone this way. It just... Wasn't adding up. It had always been a fight, since the very beginning. What had happened? It surely wasn't that they were strong to this point. They had just faced overly weak enemies.

Shady shit, if you ask the author.

But nobody could put a proper finger on why. They just got into the caravan, pleaded peace with the opposing camp and left for the quarter mark for the night raid.

"I don't get it. What did we do differently this time? That was too easy." Hazelnut said, sitting on the table, hand holding her face, her elbow leaning painfully into her thigh. A round of confused agreement swept over everyone.

"She's right. We didn't even have the Skags this time." Sasha added, furthering the point.

"And we still won." Fiona finished. There wasn't much else to say. "Hazel, when do you think we'll be at the quarter mark?" 

"Shouldn't be long. Maybe a few more miles. We could even stop here, if ya want to." The caravan promptly stopped where it was. "Alright, we're doing this then." Everyone filed from the caravan in a disorderly fashion, just wanting to be away from everyone else. It had seemed somehow choked up in the caravan. Something was just a bit too off.

Hazelnut broke off the group for a while, mentioning she had to call the Skags. But since Thomas and Pistachio had stayed in the bulk of the group, her reasons had to be of something otherwise. They didn't ponder it, since it was Hazelnut they were dealing with. They decided to camp down outside the caravan for the time that led up to the raid, with nothing else to do except wait and watch the flames corrode at the kindling they had managed to find.

The sound of fire is something anyone can figure out. It's something everyone knows. It's commonplace, even to places where it's uncommon to hear in real life. We all know it. You know it. They knew it. They were hearing it right then and there. And the sight of fire itself is something you can fear or embrace. This was one they embraced due to it's minuscule size and lack of importance. But still, the sight of the swirling flames was something to catch the eyes. Needless to say, like a journey through the soul, it spawned many personal thoughts, each unique to everyone who watched the flames. This was only interrupted when Hazelnut appeared, inquiring assistance from her Skag friend and sister.

Cinder herself became far too enveloped in her thoughts, being reminded of graduation night and... Everything then. She was reminded of her denial to love someone. She glanced up at Rhys momentarily. He didn't notice, much to her internal relief. Her tattoos pulsed... Painfully. It was like... a heartbeat. A consistent pulsation. She stood as that began to happen, half assing an excuse to retreat to the caravan. She closed the door of it behind her and let her trench coat fall from her shoulders. They were glowing. And more than usual. And they hurt more than usual. Just like that morning. 

She let out a single shaking breath, collecting herself. No, she told herself. This isn't some sort of sign. This is just... Something that happens. It's nothing. She wasn't warning anyone, much less herself, but it was all she had. She leaned down and out her trench coat back on, careful to proper cover her tattoos. Just as Cinder stepped from the caravan, there was a loud yell from Hazelnut.

"Hey guys!! Look what we picked up!!" She appeared in their view with Pistachio and Thomas, but she was dragging something by the hand. A moment or two after this, there could be heard unfamiliar voices pleading for mercy.

"Please don't kill us, miss Pistachio! Miss Hazelnut! Please!"

"I didn't even mean to do it, honest! Just please, let us go!"

"Oh shut up!" Hazelnut yelled in reply to their constant frantic apologies. As they finally came into full view, everyone could finally see that they were dragging two boys by the hand. It was also obvious that Hazelnut's glasses were askew across her face, though the reason was unknown. They both threw the arm they were holding and had them lying on the ground, heads raised and ready to make a bargain with the group in order to survive. "Luna and Harry were on patrol in these areas when I gave the signal to Base Camp and they came to report sighting two boys not too far away. So I called Stachio and Tom to help me take a look. And we not only found what we were looking for, but I got punched by it."

"I didn't mean to do it, Skag lady! I didn't see you!" The taller of the two boys cried in defence.

"Oh shut up! If you make it out of this alive, you owe a new pair of Uni-focal prescription glasses, you fuckstick!" There was a pause. "And it's Skag queen!"

"So guys, we decided that it comes down to you. Give us one good reason that these two shouldn't be killed." Everyone was silent. These two had never acted like this.

"I mean, did he actually mean to do it?" Fiona asked, her face twisted with uncertainty.

"I wouldn't have if I had known she was there!" The taller one pleaded.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that he did it!" Hazelnut slammed a converse sneaker into the taller boys back. Pistachio followed the action with the shorter one. They made no acknowledgement of pain despite how much it would have hurt their spines.

"If you can stop being a pessimistic bitch for more than five seconds Hazel, maybe we could hear the whole story behind this?" And nobody knew Vaughn had the capability of being that sassy to someone like Hazelnut.

"Oi, fuck off mate!" Hazelnut yelled, suddenly pointing her gun in his direction instead of at the boy under her feet.

"I was just trying to demonstrate something." The tall boy pleaded.

"Directions! He was saying 'and if we go this way, we should' and then he made a gesture and miss Hazelnut was behind him!"

"You should probably listen to them, Hazel."

"You can't tell me what to do, piss." Hazelnut only pointed her gun harder - however that may be attributed to motion is up to your own interpretation.

"Is that true, whatever your name is?" Pistachio asked, leaning down to the boy she still beneath her foot. He nodded violently, pleading it to be true. The boy Hazelnut held captive also bargained for the truth. Suddenly, they realised asking the boys was a dumb idea. They could be lying for they knew. And also, somebody here was literally a human lie detector. That would have been the smart choice - asking her first.

"Cinder?" Hazelnut asked, giving her leader a look.

"Yes Hazel?" Cinder asked with a roll of her eyes, knowing quite well what they were going to ask her next.

"These two lying or not?" Cinder gave a shrug. They really weren't.

"Well, nothing I can tell as a lie is there." Hazelnut and Pistachio exchanged many expressions, unsure if they should trust Cinder's judgement and let them go or to punish them anyway. After a few minutes of eyebrow wiggling only they personally could understand after years of talking this way, they lifted their feet. The boys scrambled to their feet, skittering away from the sisters in terror and over to the group of people who seemed more for their survival.

"You assholes got names or what?" Hazelnut asked, as they finally stood straight beside the caravan. She wouldn't admit it, but she needed this info to report them to the bounty notices. Yes the author knows... Savage. The shorter one spoke first, sounding like he was about to shit himself.

"Bob." The most generic name out there. He surely looked like one too, what with that haircut. What was that, some sort of failed bowl cut? 

"Astrum." The second one said, his voice equally as shaky to that of his friends. 

"Right then. Accounted. Now uh, as you were. What are you two doing out here? Lost your way?"

"Bob, you did mention directions?" It was Pistachio who was asking. The brown haired boy nodded.

"Yes, I did."

"Where to?"

"The Rustic Parthenon." Astrum interrupted. Everyone collectively raised an eyebrow. Sounded real fucking fake. Well, there was two people who didn't. Pistachio and Vaughn - and both for differing reasons. Hazelnut was the first to inquire.

"Rustic Parthenon? This place exists?"

"Yeah." He answered.

"It actually does." Pistachio said, adjusting the hat on her head, giving her sister a smug look.

"What?"

"Don't question it."

"Fine. I won't."

"Are we free to go now?" Bob asked, touching his fingertips together. Pistachio nodded, but Hazelnut narrowed her eyes again. She gestured behind her and Thomas came to her side, his hulking figure casting an intimidating shadow.

"Get. Lost." Her voice was like venom from her lips. The boys set off on unsteady legs, sprinting from the raiders without missing a beat. That must have been one of the most dangerous and life threatening events of their lifetime. As their figures disappeared behind the rocks and nothing but their footsteps could be heard as a sign of their existence, the girls finally sat down. They all could have sworn to seeing a tinge of pink in cheeks of the Stetson wearer, but they couldn't be sure.

*

The raid would be happening in due time. Now backed by Skags, the eight began their trek back to the camp. It was going to be long, considering it had been over an hours drive and none of them could walk the same speed as the caravan - just to shed some light on that fact. Their attitude and energy towards this second one had been drained after the first. It had been suspiciously easy.

Cinder was beginning to suspect the worst from her dreams were true.

It was a hard factor to ignore, in truth. Many scenarios had crossed her mind as to what could go wrong and some of them - when put into retrospect - were gaining facts and weighing them down to coming true. There were logical reasons left and right as to how almost every single one could occur on this mission. As much as she hated to think of it, this looming dread grew with every step she took to the destined camp.

To her disappointment, nobody noticed the falter in her steps, the shaking of her hands as they gripped her gun, her laboured breathing every now and then. They could have put it down to exhaustion, since she wasn't the fittest of the group, but the same attributes weren't being put to Hazelnut, who was equally as unfit, so it wasn't a proper conclusion. Besides, like stated, nobody noticed it at all.

But Cinder couldn't help the growing dread that boiled within her. It took all her restraint not to speak of her worries, to warn them all and to leave this mission behind them. But the caravan was far behind them, hundreds of Skags were stationed and could turn on her at any moment and everyone seemed prepared for a real fight, what with whatever that morning was supposed to have been. Her gut stirred in nervous anticipation. She couldn't shake this sense off of her.

They arrived with little time to spare. It was far into the night, the early hours of the morning already creeping in. There was no way she could back out of this now. Silent and under the cover of a masked darkness, they crept silently to the camp. Apparently, there were no sentries for Astrid to take care of first up, so infiltration was a simple and easy task. The raid began there, the earliest light of dawn brightening the sky. This was going to have to be quick.

With his new gun, Rhys made the first shot and the first kill. This camp wasn't huge, couldn't have been bigger than the diversion from Base Camp, but the difficulty of attack would be hard to dodge. But the corrosive bullet sizzled straight through the shield and the bullet impact ripped the skin beneath brutally, leaving the Psycho dead before it could even scream. Astrid took the next shot, her sniper making good job as always. Another silent kill, no screams, a simple fall of dead flesh. Cinder gestured silently and everyone crept into different positions, knowing what to do from there.

The next kill wasn't so clean cut. The bullet made impact, but it wasn't strong enough against the Maliwan spike shield. Waking the Psycho up meant waking all others up as well and within seconds they were being called to their booted feet. Cinder sighed. Great. They were going to do this the hard way. By the normal, all guns were firing at full force, only ever breaking to reload ammo. But as the Psychos that were in the main square went with a fight, more took their place, filtering from the shacks at progressing speeds. Suddenly, someone was pulled from their position to be 'punished' and were dragged out to the main area.

Cinder narrowed her eyes in dumb frustration, knowing they chose well. They chose Astrid, the sniper, with an on point accuracy gun. And nobody else, with low accuracy guns. They were aware that for a long distance kill, it was entirely possible to shoot Astrid as well. Hazelnut burst forward on Thomas, tramping Psycho's left and right, angry as all hell. Her voice was shrieking obscenities at a shrill level. Pistachio quickly followed her, two guns in her hands, bullets blazing. Cinder smirked and leapt over her protective wall, running to join the action. It was never fun to just sit back and watch.

There was a problem however. These Psychos had shields, meaning that they had defences, but the raiders... They did not. Not one raid had they seen a shield to take and make use of, so they were left to fend with their primary offences as secondary defences. Fucking great. At least they had some agility to them, dodging bullets like no man's business - something they were all used to by now. Some of the front line Skags weren't so lucky in that abort.

There was a cry and even more Skags came running from the boundaries of the camp, leaping out and attacking Psychos like they owed big money, avenging their fallen brethren. From there on, all hell broke loose. Everyone began fighting their own fight, separated from their fellow warriors. They didn't even have time to looks for others, at least six Psychos at a time flooding them each individually. It seemed impossible at how many they were fighting. The fight for their lives came many times - more than they wished to count - due to the sheer numbers that emerged from every house in the camp. It was like a hydra, for every one that was killed, another two took its place. 

It seemed a good conclusion that this was how the Crimson Raiders went out the first time around. And now, they were beginning to feel, it was how the Epsilon Raiders were going to go out. 

The battle was nowhere near over when the retreat was called. It was nearly impossible to keep up with it. Too many. It was an utter contrast of the morning beforehand. But everyone grabbed their guns and ran for their lives, fleeing the camp without hesitation. With the helpful aid of the remaining Skags staying to fight, as if to distract, they made an effective escape, not bothering to stop running for as long as they possibly could. But the inevitable falter came and their sprints turned into ambles.

"What the actual fuck?" Pistachio asked, putting her rather knowledgeable vocabulary to a simple standard.

"We need backup." Hazelnut reasoned, jumping off Tom's back. 

"Well, unless you know anyone, we're out of luck." Fiona commented.

"We gotta get back in there." Astrid said, a tweak of anxiety in her voice.

"Where the hell is Rhys?" Vaughn asked, sending a chill down everyone's spine. It was a valid question because he was in every way not with them. He wasn't there being tall as fuck, making a scene or running off his mouth. So it did come down to that question. Where the hell was he?

Cinder's heart nearly stopped. What if... She didn't dare question otherwise. She broke into a sprint once more, the fastest she'd ever run in her life, abandoning her friends, making straight back for the camp. It was true that she could still hear gunfire. It was true this had been one of those suspicions. One of the worst. Something she had willed not to come true. It was true that if she didn't get back there soon, Rhys would be dead. She wasn't about to let it happen. She WOULDN'T let it happen. 

But she was too late.

Cinder reached the edge of the camp, where she could see the Psychos finally calling off the attack. A wonder how they didn't notice her. She took off running, unsure of where his battle position had been this time around. But as her eyes landed on an abandoned gun laying next to a metal hand, she was beginning to figure out where. None of the raiders had followed her and that she could be thankful for. Because she wouldn't have wanted anyone to have to witness her pulling him from the frenzy as nothing more than a lifeless ragdoll. A simple thing known as one too many bullets and no way to escape. No chance for second wind.

He was dead. As far as she knew, she couldn't do anything to help him. A cloud seemed to bog her mind as she set him down. She... She couldn't believe her eyes. For them being cowards and leaving, it had cost him his life. 

And she had always thought he didn't deserve a place in the raiders. For always being the runner. 

For once the opposite was true. 

The bog of a cloud consumed her every thought, unable to comprehend it. She couldn't grasp it. It couldn't be real. This was just a nightmare. _A living nightmare _. Cinder felt the energy rise in her arm, the throbbing of power. A burning sensation on her upper back. A sound different to what she was used to came, startling her.__

__"Wha'cha think, little girl? We killed 'im. How's it feel?" The taunt of a Psycho. A Psycho she had heard before. A Psycho she wished was dead. "How's it feel, little girl? Knowing 'e's dead? That you're pranking thief boy is dead?" The shadow that loomed warned her of the axe it was about to swing through her neck. She spun and shot it out of the Psychos hands. She stood and removed her trench coat, revealing the glow up her arm._ _

__"How it feels is none of your concern, Shroud." A swirl of glowing tendrils wrapped around her arm as she clenched her fist tighter. "I thought you were done for when I killed your father. What was his name, Benson?" The Psycho before her laughed and nodded, tilting its head in an insane manor. "Listen, you've taken enough from me. My sister, my home, the only person Ive ever loved. You Shroud's have quite the reputation with me. So, it's about time that little girl from the shire took something from you." The energy that gathered around her arm fell around her hand, creating a blade along it._ _

__"What? Besides a father?" Cinder smiled and raised her hand. The blade shot off her hand like a crossbow, landing straight through its chest. A whimper escaped the Psycho._ _

__"I wouldn't know what losing a father feels like. I know that it would personally make my day. But I know you care about living. I'll just take that right from you." With a growl, it launched at her, aiming to tackle her down. With a nimble skip, she jumped out of the way of it, leaving it to crash uselessly into the wall that had been behind her. She raised her arm again and sent a barrage of indigo bullets out at it, landing each in its back._ _

__But this bustard was resilient. It reached for the axe she had knocked from its hands and threw it at her. She didn't duck or even move out of its way. She merely jumped. The searing in her back released as something unexpected happened. Something that made her smile._ _

__Wings. Those token wings. She finally had use for them. With a thrust of her arm, she sent another blade at it. This time, the arrow landed right through the mask. Nothing more to say, it dropped to its knees. Dead. A person Cinder wanted dead. Her feet hit the ground once more, but the wings didn't disappear. The fight with Shroud was over, but now, Cinder had to deal with..._ _

__She walked over to where Rhys lay and picked him up. Just as heavy as she expected, she put one arm around his shoulders and another beneath is knees. Bridal style, you could say. The familiar spark of their touch didn't occur, giving Cinder all the more reason to know he was dead. She knew they would want to see him. They would want to know. Perhaps they wouldn't believe her if she just said it. Maybe they would have. She didn't know. But she would let them see for themselves._ _

__Tears in her eyes, Cinder stepped over the body of Ares Shroud and exited the camp, her feet dragged her back to the raiders._ _


	16. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything that follows the fallen, the broken, the grieving and the sorry.
> 
> Only, it isn't just a tale of sorrow anymore. A secret gets out after one fatal mistake on Cinder's part. Looks like a new conflict is going to arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOOOOOOOOONG CHAPTER
> 
> I REPEAT: LOOOOOOOOOONG CHAPTER
> 
> IT TOOK A LONG TIME AND IS FUCKING LONG. ITS LIKE SIXTEEN PAGES ON MY WORD DOCUMENT LIKE HOLY SHIT
> 
> Also, shit goes the fuck down in this chapter so be the fuck prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions

Cinder leaving after Vaughn asked his question was another question in itself. Everyone knew she had barely any stamina at all and after running all this way, a few words strung together had sent her all the way back. It was a mystery all in itself. They didn't go after her, unsure of what to do. But after twenty or so minutes passed, they began to fear what had become of her and Rhys, and so set off back to the camp to find them. But they didn't need to. After walking maybe 100 metres, Cinder returned into their view, only... 

Only she was carrying Rhys... Who was quite clearly dead.

Cinder was glad the most of her power attack was gone. She couldn't wrap her head around how it had happened anyway. Before, she couldn't do anything with her powers except the slightest summon of energy. But, back there, she had finally - properly - used her Phase ability. Like a siren was supposed to be able to. She was also even more glad that nobody but Ares had seen her.

But none of this relief could outweigh the dread and sorrow that was quickly corrupting her heart. Especially when this happened:

"RHYS!!" Vaughn screamed, his voice cracked, his feet tripping as he ran towards the girl carrying the body of his best friend. Cinder almost scrambled to the ground, placing Rhys down with no hesitation, but care nonetheless. Though she said nothing and barely looked their way, she could tell everyone who stood there was sharing one common emotion. Utter sorrow.

"Oh, that's just cruel." Astrid said, withdrawing a sharp breath. Even if she had barely gotten to know Rhys personally, Vaughn's reaction alone was bringing her to tears.

"Man, of all the ways he could've gone out..." Sasha remarked, a hand covering her mouth in shock.

"He didn't deserve that." Hazelnut stated, removing her hat and holding it to her chest in respect.

"I thought it would have been sooner, but... I'm kinda glad it wasn't." Fiona said as she followed Hazelnut's actions.

"I WAS JUST ATTACKED BY AN OBESE GIRAFFE ON SKIS, WHAT THE FUCK?!" Pistachio screeched, whipping off her hat, tears brimming in her grey eyes. Despite seeing people dead everyday for years thanks to her job as a mercenary, this was seemingly too much for her.

"Dude... What?" Hazelnut asked her sister.

"YOU'VE BEEN LED YOUR WHOLE LIFE TO BELIEVE THAT NO GIRAFFE WOULD EVER BE ON SKIS OR BE OBESE SO YOU GET LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AND THEN SUDDENLY BOOM! OBESE GIRAFFE ON SKIS ROCKS UP AND BREAKS YOUR NECK, LEAVING YOU TO CRY YOUR EYES OUT AND WONDER WHAT JUST HAPPENED!" Everyone grew silent at that kind of explanation. 

Aside from that strange little outburst of melodramatic antics, nobody could really fight back their sorrows. None could deny a certain fact and that was; they had taken him for granted. They hadn't really thought about what might happen, or the fact that this could have happened at any raid at any time.

Eventually, Vaughn wasn't the only one bawling. Pistachio had taken to it and rather violently too, the author may add. She cried into her sisters shoulder, still constantly muttering about giraffes and obesity and skis. Sasha was close to doing the same, just without the giraffes part. 

After what seemed like a long and sad eternity, almost everyone was drying their tears and trying to tell themselves that death happened all the time and convincing themselves that it was probably better for him to be rotting in hell than to be on Pandora. Fiona, Sasha, Astrid, Pistachio and Hazelnut collected themselves and reluctantly walked back to the caravan, silent as they kept into their own thoughts. Cinder was frozen in disbelief, her mind calling for her to just move on, that it was too late, but was unable to move. Vaughn was understandably far too upset to leave just yet. Everyone knew that and respected that fact.

Hours past and there was total silence throughout the Rustic Drylands. And through the eight of them, no words were to be spoken from the fallen, the broken, the grieving and the sorry.

*

"Aren't you going back?" Vaughn asked. Cinder looked up at him, her vision clouded. She shrugged.

"Soon." Her body was still trembling.

"I'm sorry. You two were close, weren't you?"

"You have nothing to apologise for. And even if we were, you two were closer. Bros for life." Vaughn let out a sad chuckle at her comment. "I should be going, if you want me to." She went to stand up.

"What?"

"You asked if I was going. I'm sure you'd like to be alone for a while." 

"It was just a question. I was gonna go anyway." Cinder looked away awkwardly.

"Oh." Her face went red. Taking everything literally... again. At that, she made no extra acknowledgements of moving. Vaughn stood up.

"See ya back at the caravan." He said, giving her a slight wave as he turned.

"Don't punch Hazel too hard when you get back." She called out, trying to make some light to the situation. She suspected it didn't work, but after hearing that chuckle, she hoped it had done something. But his lack of reply did worry her.

Alone now, Cinder had nothing more to do than to mourn. She continued to bite back on her tears, forcing her spasming chest to stop trying to force a sob up. She couldn't risk it. Nothing was worth the crying and whatever punishment would ensue. As horrible and selfish as it was, not even this was worth it.

She couldn't help but think and hope that maybe there was a chance Rhys would survive. But it was a dying hope and... He did look quite peaceful in the face of death. Regrets began pulsing in Cinder's mind. Why had she never said anything to him? Now he was gone. There was no chance. No more time to tell him anything. Not even a goodbye.

What was the last thing she had said to him? To him directly? She gasped as she recalled her final words to him before he had died in that raid.

"Just don't be useless."

Could she have been any more of an asshole? Had she really been so arrogant, even when she knew this exact thing could have happened? Had she disregarded this event so much as to say that to him? Apparently so. Absolute asshole, she thought to herself. Everything was really beginning to hit her now that it could, without the judgement of the raiders hanging over her. She wanted nothing more than to cry and for him to be alive again. If both happened at once, maybe he would do that thing where he'd be nice to her in that always unwanted way. Hug her in the way she always protested against. Remind her that not all was lost, in the way she used to hate.

She'd, of course, taken it all for granted and now craved for it. Then, a thought began to hit her that maybe there was something she could do. Just maybe... She could save him. From an outside source, he might not survive, but if she were to do something...

Many ideas hacked their way into her mind. Most of them seemed impossible, unachievable with what she had with her. She would have to search for almost all of it. One sensible thought was to get him to a healing chamber in the bio dome, but that was still too far away. She didn't have that time. None of them had that time. She needed a plan, quick smart.

Then an idea hit her. For a moment, she doubted it might even be possible. Then the possibility of it being true hit her. She tried to reason what logic could make it work. She found more than one reason. He too was a siren. Energy transfer just might be possible. Without proper knowledge of the extent of her powers, she was willing to put a gamble on it. She had nothing to lose, after all. It just might be worth taking the chance.

She flexed her hand, clenched her fist and forced that familiar glow onto her tattoos. She slipped off the sleeve to her left arm, seeing that already a deep indigo was burning where pale blue had once been. Without any idea of what she was doing she pressed her fingers against the first exposed tattoo she could find on him. She cringed at just how cold he was.

She focused the power away from her previous rampage and towards something completely different - a clear definition of healing. Revival. Whatever would bring him back to life. Through the air, she could feel the buzz of energy as she gathered whatever strange energy she could. She felt the heated energy swirl around her arm, but not gather at the base of her hand. She forced it to stay along her arm. 

Then she had to focus on one more thing. Transfer. If she wasn't mistaken, this energy could heal him. She doubted it would work, but like previously stated, she had nothing to lose on this. She had to make sure this got to him. She gathered the waves of new power around the palm of her hand and, with eyes closed and breath held, forced it away.

She forced all of the power she had found and forced it into her fingertips. Forced it out of them in the least malicious way possible and - she hoped - into him. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see what might happen. But she felt it drain. Every inch of that power was leaking away. She opened her eyes and even the glow had faded to a dull light. There was no visible energy left near her. She kept her hand in place, releasing a strangled breath. Why wasn't this working? She had literally given him power. Why wasn't he alive again?

She began to breathe heavily. Maybe she needed to give him more of her own power? Surely, what she had already given wouldn't have been enough. She focused on her power again, gathering it up, keeping her thoughts focused away from any malicious intentions, forcing it all away into her fingers and out once again. Her heart pounded harshly in her chest, her face and eyes growing red with the prospect of tears. The prospect that this was a fruitless waste of her power.

Then she felt a spark.

She flinched as the familiar sensation hit her. The spark formed again, almost making her take her hand away. She had to stay focused. But the sparks of electricity suddenly turned into volts, shocking her whole arm and forcing her hand away. But what she was seeing was a sight like no other. Even through his tattered clothes, the vibrant glow of blue could be seen.

And from what was exposed, it was blinding. Cinder had to shield her eyes from just how vibrant it was. Faint static sounds surrounded her as an almost mystical wind began to pick up. She leant back and away from him, eyes scrunched against the light. Even closed, she could tell that it was unnaturally bright. It had to be brighter than the sun. She wasn't sure if her skin wouldn't be permanently tinted with this blue colour.

Among the wind and light, there was a shockwave. She felt a pulse race out and into the air, passing her crouched body without effort. The light faded as quick as it had come. Cinder let her arms fall to her sides, her eyes full of worry as she gazed down at where Rhys lay. She waited. Maybe that had meant something? As she watched, she noticed one small thing. A twitch of his eyebrow.

Then his eyelids flickered open.

Groaning, he sat up, a hand to his pounding head.

"Augh... What happened?" Through unfocused eyes, he tried to scope out his surroundings. But all he could make out was the blurry shapes of rocky cliffs and trampled sand dunes. Not the bandit camp like he remembered fainting in. "Where..." He looked around, trying to find the familiar faces of his fellow raiders. "Where'd they go?" 

"You're alive." Cinder hadn't meant to say it aloud, but the fact that it was true and he was alive was far too astounding for her not to have said something. Upon hearing her speak, Rhys turned and met her eyes, a feeling of relief washing over him. At least she was here.

"Cinder..."

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" No thought to be had, Cinder tackled him into a hug, eyes burning with tears of joy. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Miss me much?" He asked, his voice strained in pain as she clutched at him restlessly, keeping a firm grip he wished she wouldn't. He didn't want to say that it hurt, because frankly, she never acted like this. But he did have one question. "What happened?"

*

Even after Cinder had explained the basics of what had happened, Rhys still had many questions for her. Like, "How long was I dead for?"

"Well... I actually don't know. We were running for minutes and then stopped and Vaughn asked where you were and I took off running back which took some time and by then you were long gone. You must have been out before we even retreated."

"So I was dead for a while?"

"More or less."

"And, do tell, how many injuries did I have before you healed me?"

"Surplus. You had bulletwounds everywhere."

"You think I took any to the head?"

"Yeah, you probably did, but I think your legs suffered the most."

"How so?"

"It's the biggest target on you." He made a face at her. "Don't give me that look." The moment came to an end as something caught his eye.

"What the hell is that?" He asked, grabbing her right arm in a quick movement. A large red stain was leaking onto her sleeve.

"Fuck. Ares must've got me and I didn't notice." She said, tenderly sliding her sleeve down to reveal a large gash just below her shoulder. She hissed at the sight of it, only used to blood that wasn't her own. 

"Who's Ares?"

"He attacked me when I went back to find you. I disposed of him, but-" She grit her teeth against the pain in her arm.

"How'd you know his name?"

"Because... He... His father murdered Maria. His name was Benson Shroud."

"Oh..."

"I killed Benson to avenge her."

"Sounds like you."

"Right..."

"Here, let me help." He said, running his thumb just beneath the cut, causing Cinder to cringe. 

"No. It'll be fine. You don't have to do anything."

"Cinder, you brought me back from the dead. A favour for a favour, though this doesn't even come close to repaying you. I owe you my life, but... Just let me help."

"Fine! Just... Do you even know what you're doing?"

"If it makes you feel better, pretend I know." He checked how deep it would have been. "It'll leave a scar for sure." 

"Tell me something I don't already know." She said through gritted teeth.

"There isn't any signs of infection so far."

"Good to know."

"And I know how much effort you put into these, so please don't punch me for doing this." Using his teeth, his ripped off the hem and a small portion of his sleeve. She flinched and groaned. "This is gonna hurt." He said, beginning to bind her arm with the torn fabric, forcing an expected groan of pain up her throat. "This should keep it clean until we can get back to the Inn or even Base Camp. And it should stop any excessive bleeding."

"Since when were you a medical major?"

"Like I said, pretend."

"Why would there be anything at Base Camp?"

"The girls live in the middle of nowhere. They would have stuff in case of injury when they're so far from normal civilisation."

"...Right."

"And...... Done." He said as he finished tying the knot to keep the makeshift bandage in place. "Sorry if it's tight."

"No, it's fine..." She slipped her sleeve back up to cover the binding, adjusting the coat on her shoulders to sit more comfortably. "Thank you."

"You're... You're welcome." They sat in silence for a moment. "Anyway, we should get going to the caravan or they're gonna get worried about us." He said as he attempted to stand. He quickly managed to lose his balance, stumbling and nearly sending himself back to the ground.

"Whoa, calm down there! You took a lot of hits to the legs - don't jump up and start walking!" Cinder exclaimed, latching onto his arm to keep him steady.

"Well, we have to get back to the caravan sometime or another! And we kinda need to walk to get there." He responded, frustration in his tone as he leaned on her arm for support. 

"I'm aware we have to walk to get back to the caravan! Just... Take it easy, okay?"

*

The caravan waited silently. They weren't going to leave without Cinder. But for some reason, she still wasn't back. Once again, they were beginning to fear what had become of her. It had been almost a half hour since Vaughn had returned. And they had thought Cinder would have been back first. Surely, she wasn't all too distraught about it? She seemed to make it pretty apparent she didn't like him.

But finally, they heard footsteps and voices... Voices? There wasn't supposed to be voices. If she had returned, she would be alone... Right? Astrid peered out the window of the caravan in the direction of the footsteps and voices and gasped. 

"What?! How?! That isn't... Guys, you need to see this!" She gestured for them to join her at the window. Everyone, eyebrows raised, joined her at the window and all collectively had a similar reaction. They could see Cinder, who was helping a somehow alive Rhys walk back to the caravan. He was limping wildly, leaning on the younger girl for support. But...

How? How was he alive again?

"Those motherfuckers tricked us." Pistachio murmured. Everyone turned from the window and looked to her. "They ARE sirens." Her voice was set like a matter of fact.

"What?" 

"How else could Rhys be alive? She must have healed him using her powers or something." With now furrowed brows, everyone nodded. So. It had all been a lie, had it?

The door of the caravan opened and they stepped in, everyone sitting and staring in one conglomerated group in the corner by the window. As they turned to see this group, both of their faces fell.

"Hey... guys..." Cinder's voice was strained.

"Hi there..." Rhys followed up with.

"How is he here?" Pistachio asked, tone laced with aggression.

"We walked." Cinder stated, a nervous sweat forming on her brow.

"Don't play dumb, Sinful. How is he alive again?" Pistachio adjusted her hat in an intimidating manner, stepping towards them. Her voice was poisonous, her eyes piercing. It wasn't just Cinder and Rhys that were afraid of her. She hadn't even been like this with Astrum and Bob. She was acting like they were pure criminal evil and she was playing the perfect bad cop.

"I- I healed him." Cinder said, her voice shaking violently. Rhys nodded.

"It's true." He stammered, coming to her much needed defence. Pistachio narrowed her eyes.

"And exactly how did you manage that?" Cinder's stomach heaved. How was she supposed to answer this without telling the truth? She had to answer this with a lie, but how? There was no excuse for it. Rhys and Cinder exchanged worried glances. "Does it maybe have something to do with those?" Pistachio asked, getting close to the taller girl and running a finger along the exposed tattoos on Cinder's neck. She batted the young girl's hand away quickly, but she made no answer. Everyone's eyes bore into her, her anxiety growing with every struggled breath she took.

"I..." Her legs began to tremble.

"Rhys. Maybe you can answer it for her. How did she heal you? Was it something to do with her tattoos? You should know. I'm sure you're both very close." Pistachio said, turning to him, an evil little smirk on her face. He made no attempt to answer. There was no answer that could avoid what they were. But he wasn't about to admit it for her.

"Fine, okay. It did." Cinder finally managed to say, her voice cracked and shaking with fear. Rhys shot her a look, concerned. What was going to happen to her now? Pistachio looked just about ready to shank a bitch. That smirk widened on the teenagers face.

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but those would be siren tattoos. Is it true that you healed your boyfriend by means of your powers?"

"No." Pistachio paused.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I healed Rhys, not my boyfriend." Rhys had to hold back his own smirk. Couldn't help herself, could she? But Pistachio found no humour in that statement, her glare turning into a sneer. She launched forward and griped at that old trench coat, ripping down the sleeve. Cinder cried out as her shoulder was yanked downwards with the coat, Pistachio clawing it off the older girl. Their brawl met a quick end, Pistachio dropping the brown coat with satisfaction. There they were. Those beautiful tattoos. There for everyone to see.

"Siren." Her voice was optimistic - a dangerous perk nobody wanted from someone like Pistachio. Astrid was the first to voice her disgust.

"So the bounty notices weren't lying at all... You traitor!" Cinder grimaced, holding her arm tenderly to her chest, as if doing so could hide it. Her face grew red with embarrassment. Almost everyone else remained silent, unable to make any proper judgement from the shock. "You monster!" Astrid yelled at the top her lungs, causing Cinder to take a step back. Her breath was receding from her lungs, the rooms spinning around her.

"No. You're wrong... I'm not..." No words found their way to her tongue, leaving her speechless - defenceless.

"I can't believe it." Sasha stated, her voice lost.

"I knew there was something wrong with you the moment I first saw you!" Fiona shouted. Of course, Cinder thought, remembering that night so long ago. That memory wasn't helping any matters here. Hazelnut and Vaughn still made no comment, one of them looking pitying and the other looking on the fence about the whole situation. 

"Why did you hide it, Cinder?" Hazelnut asked.

"W-... I have reasons."

"Oh yeah? What are they? Anything more than a stupid little scheme to save your own skin until you take our lives?" Astrid asked. Cinder was baffled by Astrid's sudden hatred. Nobody in the caravan could have tried to be angrier, even Pistachio, who was smugly proud of the uproar she was causing from the redhead. But the answer about hiding didn't come from Cinder. It came from Rhys.

"Oh yes, because we obviously have no reason to hide it! It's not like both of us were taught from a young age that these tattoos, these powers we've been granted, aren't supposed to be used! Whatever you do, you won't need those for it! If anyone sees those, you'll be seen as a monster! Or they'll make a cult around you and worship you until you die! Trust us, you don't want to be a siren! The last thing you want to be is a siren!" The anarchy died down for all of a second.

"What the hell are you talking about? You aren't a siren!" Astrid yelled. Rhys let out a growl, sending a chill up Cinder's spine.

"What did the bounty notices say about us, Astrid? About both of us?" Astrid narrowed her eyes.

"But sirens are girls. And only girls!"

"It's called 'defective'."

"Wait, so... You're both... Sirens?" Vaughn stammered.

"Yes Vaughn. We're both sirens." Rhys pulled at his collar to reveal the tattoos along his collarbone, grabbing Cinder's arm to compare the patterns. "I'm surprised you never saw a similarity here." Hazelnut drew in a breath.

"You bloody bastards!" Astrid shrieked as she stood, causing everyone to shudder at her shrill tone. "I never thought I would ever have to come across creatures like you in my lifetime! You monsters! Killing humans from anywhere you see fit just for the fun of it! You took my family! Made me a test subject! Using your phase powers without any mercy! You. Fucking. BASTARDS!!" She had crawled over the small crowd and was now standing right before them, having shoved Pistachio away.

"Killing humans for sport?" Rhys asked, his voice shaking with confusion, fear and anger.

"Took your family? Test subject?" Cinder's mind became a mess of all the clues her dreams had once told her before this day.

"Don't you play dumb with me! Your entire race are nothing but beasts driven by bloodlust!" Cinder and Rhys exchanged glances that can only be described as 'what the fuck is this chick going on about?'

"I don't know about bloodlust-"

"Fuck off, Cinder! I've seen you in battle! You won't stop at anything until every last Psycho is dead!" Yes, Cinder got into the fight, but it was in no way a bloodlust. She wasn't driven by it, or craving the blood of her enemies to be spilt every second of her life. She was an inn keeper for Christ sake.

"You know, she's right! You are a different person on the battlefield!" Sasha remarked with a snarl. Cinder yanked her arm from Rhys's grasp, making him flinch momentarily.

"I always had second doubts about you Rhys." Fiona's voice was low and dangerous, her eyes burning with unmasked fury.

"Guys, just because one or two sirens were bloodthirsty doesn't mean all of them are. I mean, if Rhys and Cinder were going to kill us, they would have already-" Hazelnut came to their defence. To their defence. Not yelling at them like Astrid was. Not making them lose hope like everyone else was.

"SHUT UP!!" Astrid slapped Hazelnut across the mouth, causing the poor girl to fall back on her ass, forcing up a yelp of pain. "THEY WOULD HAVE PLANNED IT!! TIMED IT PERFECTLY!! THEY HAVEN'T KILLED US YET, BUT I SWEAR ON MY LIFE, IT WILL HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER!!" She screamed down at the girl, who was holding her cheek tenderly, her other hand gripping her fallen Stetson.

"Pistachio..." She whined, choking on tears.

"'But we had reasons to hide it!' Gah, don't you DARE say that to me! What fucking reasons could a siren have to hide it?! You're powerful, almighty, creatures of worship in some cultures! What the fuck would you need to hide from?!" This time, it was Cinder who growled.

"The siren hunters! The bounty hunters! The people who know how to abuse our powers! The people who think the tattoos are a novelty, that this power doesn't exist! The people who think it's unfair that at random, someone is given all this power and seek those people out to make it fair for everyone!"

"And the people like you, who think our race are nothing but bloodthirsty monsters, just because we have power!" Everyone grew wide eyed at Rhys's final comment. Hazelnut cringed on the floor, giving both the sirens a look of pity. Astrid stood stock still, looking stunned for a moment. But the look quickly turned into rage once more.

"SAYS YOU!! AUGH, YOU'RE ONLY DOING IT FOR A HALF ASSED EXCUSE TO SAVE YOURSELVES! THE ONLY PERSON YOU'RE BEWITCHING IS HAZELNUT!! But then again, she's primal enough to believe anything she's told!" Hazelnut glared up at Astrid, her hand still on her face, but made no indication that she was going to move.

"Prove the girl wrong, you two! Go ahead! The floor is yours!" Pistachio screeched, standing back. Rhys shook his head in an angry yet confused way. Cinder snarled.

"Oh and what do you surmise we tell you now?"

"What the hell were you guys planning to do with us?! You were bound to do something!"

"Nobody with that much power would pass up that kind of opportunity." It was Sasha who had spoken.

"What did we plan for you guys?! I dunno, a war against the psychos because we want Pandora to not go to shit! We aren't animals!"

"Common knowledge. Sirens aren't animals, a mutated race of humans is more accurate. Monsters really does sum it up." Vaughn spoke up, making himself sound much more intellectual than he planned.

"God, could you give me any more reasons to hate you right now?" Hazelnut piped up from the floor.

"I could take your hat, but I'm not doing that to save myself from a headlock like last time."

"Deserved it."

"OFF TOPIC YOU TWO!!" It was Astrid yet again.

"Scientifically a monster, eh? Add secretive to that and it's a perfect description of you both!" Hazelnut sent her scowl to Fiona as she said that. Cinder had to control every part of her temper to make sure she didn't have an outburst and prove them right.

"In some cultures, sirens are worshipped goddesses! I'm not seeing what would make these two any different!" Hazelnut yelled, once again coming to their defence.

"Welcome to Pandora, Hazel! Just because other planets do that doesn't mean we do!" Vaughn retaliated.

"So what?! What makes them any different from those who were worshipped?!"

"PLANETS!!" Pistachio finally screeched. "THEY'RE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY LIVE ON PANDORA!! NOT THE OTHER ONES!"

"But if they lived on those other planets! Get it through your head! IF!"

"Jesus, who the fuck would worship them?!" Astrid returned her insults back on Cinder and Rhys, who were now standing in defending positions should anyone attack them and trembling from fear and anger. "I don't know a person who would respect someone with legs that never end and clothes with spontaneous stripes! And don't get me started on you! Trench coat? Simple little headband? Please! Don't make me laugh! Those planets would take one look at you two and bid ya bye-bye!" Both Cinder and Rhys could feel their blood boiling by this point. Hazelnut had resigned herself by now, unable to hold up any more counter-arguments.

"So do correct us if we're wrong, but you two are monsters. You're not humans. You're not worshipped. You're powerful. You're plotting against us. And lastly, you're sirens." Pistachio had spoken those words. 

"I second all of that." Vaughn replied.

"Really, condensing it down to not human is a bit too kind." Fiona remarked.

"Yeah, I can see how they've been plotting against us this whole time." Sasha commented.

"That's that. We've got you all figured out - you evil shitheads." Astrid said, drawing closer to them both with a smirk. "Time to give you what you deserve!" She yelled, suddenly throwing a punch. It landed right on the bridge of Cinder's nose. Cinder stumbled back with a cry, knocking into Rhys, one hand to her already stinging nose. 

"Oh my god! Cinder, are you okay?!" Rhys cried out as she groaned another time, grabbing her arm to steady her as she nearly fell back a second time.

"What the fuck, Astrid?! That was uncalled for!" Hazelnut screeched, jumping up, throwing an arm around the redheads neck and locking her head. Cinder heard almost none of it, everything beginning to blur. She was suddenly back in a dream, back in the past. Astrid's outburst was similar to something she knew. This pain was something she knew. It was all bringing her back to the shire...

"I'm done." Cinder said, her tone low. Everyone grew silent as she stamped to the door, threw it open and leaped out of the caravan, running out towards Base Camp. Everyone grew silent. 

"Cinder, wait!!" Rhys called after her, running from the caravan in a chase to get her back. Nobody noticed the look of murder he shot over his shoulder at the last second. She was surprisingly fast, so much so that she had already cleared a good distance and didn't appear to be stopping anytime soon. "Cinder! Come on! Please stop running!" The girl stumbled to a stop, whipping around to look him in the eyes.

"WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?! ACTING LIKE WE'RE THE MONSTERS!! ALL BECAUSE WE'RE SIRENS!!" She was gripping the sides of her head in frustration, her face red all over, her eyes bloodshot with restrained tears. "AND AFTER TRUSTING EACH OTHER FOR MONTHS NOW, THE TWO OF US SUDDENLY CAN'T BE TRUSTED ALL BECAUSE WE'RE SIRENS!!" She let out an aggravated scream, kicking out her legs in a child like way - the way a young child throwing a tantrum would act, only this time she had a reason to be angry. "HOW CAN THEY JUST CHANGE THEIR OPINIONS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, OVER SOMETHING SO TRIVIAL!!" The sky darkened as Rhys finally caught up to her.

"I don't know! But they did it anyway!" Whatever colour that was in the sky dulled and began to turn grey as storm clouds began to draw in. 

"Exactly! Oh, and what the fuck was Astrid talking about?! Oooooh, I could talk about her for fucking hours! I trusted her... God I TRUSTED HER, AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET! Why you never trust anyone with anything! To think, she was the one who wanted me to be leader of all this! And then she was the one who turned on me first!" Rhys didn't have any following comment. "Just how do they think they understand what's going on for us?! All they're doing is assuming us for the worst!"

"Hey, you don't even have to tell me twice!"

"Fucking watch me! And they're basing all of it around some old tales! When one of the sirens of old was primal and killed for sport! When one of them enchanted people to do their bidding! We must obviously be like them - because we're sirens too!!"

"If they actually gave us time to explain ourselves, maybe they could understand! We aren't like that at all!"

"Maybe, but why would they listen to us?! We can't be trusted, remember?!"

"You think I've forgotten?!" A wind was beginning to pick up, carrying dust as their clothes began to sway.

"I just wish they'd learn that we had good reasons for hiding this from them and from everyone. They just..." She choked on insults. She choked on profanities. She choked on memories. But eventually, she found the words to finish her sentence. "THEY JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!!" She dropped to her knees, her hands covering her face in frustration. Unable to know how to react in this situation, having never been in it before, Rhys had to throw together a reaction and do something. So he did something he knew he was going to regret sooner or later.

He got down, held her close and let her continue to rage on about how much she just wished for them to give them both a second chance, but her word mileage eventually ran out. Soon, they were sitting in silence, letting the wind that was now howling sweep around them.

*

Without words, they both stood. Despite how much they hated to know it to be true, they needed the caravan to get home. To face everyone again, especially Astrid, after everything they had said. Not one of those words could have been directed at sirens in general. Every word had been an insult to who they were - like they didn't already hate what they were.

They tread back to the caravan in silence. It seemed eons longer than the run had taken to get them away. But time dragged by and no step brought them closer. Their minds didn't want to catch up with their feet and bring them back to the caravan and everyone else. But eventually, they did find the caravan again. It was waiting in the same silence, nobody within it speaking anything loud enough to be heard through the metal walls. And someone was waiting outside.

Hazelnut.

Only, she didn't seem to be waiting as much as she was crouched outside the caravan with her head hanging between her knees, her hat pulled over her eyes. What was visible on her face was red and tear stained, one cheek going slightly purple with a bruise. Upon sighting her, they both collectively agreed they should grab her - she looked pretty distraught herself. 

Without enough hesitation for it to seem detectable, Rhys grabbed Hazelnut's hat and lifted it from her head, grabbing it away quicker than she could react to her hat being stolen. When Hazelnut lifted her head to see which bitch was messing with her precious hat, Cinder extended a hand to help her up. The teenager looked sceptical for a moment, giving the two sirens a look through her blurry red eyes before taking Cinder's hand and being hoisted to her feet.

"You okay?" Cinder asked when Hazelnut removed her glasses to clean them of lacrimal liquids. She shook her head no. "What did they do to you?" Hazelnut shook her head again. "Come on. We can do something about it if you tell us." Hazelnut only hugged herself and shook her head again, her eyes pooling with tears further. "Is it because he has your hat? You can have it back." Hazelnut shook her head even further, her bottom lip trembling.

"Here." Rhys plonked the hat back onto her head with a kind smile. She gazed at them both for a long moment, before launching forward and wrapping her arms around Cinder.

"Wh- okay, we're doing this now." Awkwardly, Cinder set her own arms around Hazelnut, who was trembling violently. After lingering for a few seconds, she broke away from Cinder and hugged Rhys as well - who also awkwardly returned it. When she finally pulled away, she let her face be covered with salty tears and began talking in a voice broken by words and sobs.

"Astrid attacked me. 'Nobody who cares about them should go without punishment!' she yelled at me before throwing to the ground. Pistachio tried to stop her, but she was too late. Three hits to the ribs later, Stachio yelled at everyone to stop her and she pulled me out. 'They didn't attack you for hating them, so you shouldn't attack her for supporting them!' I think she said after I ran from the van. I had to leave." As a loud sob came from her throat, she jerked in pain, gripping at her side with a gasp of pain.

"I'm going to kill Astrid." Rhys remarked, glaring over at the door to the caravan.

"No, that's just stupid. You'll give her all the proof of why we can't be trusted. Come on, we should get Hazel back in the caravan and get them to get us back to Base Camp. For her sake." Cinder said in reply. 

"No!" Hazelnut wailed. "Not yet!" She cringed. "My crying face is the ugliest thing in Pandora. They don't get to see it."

"I pretty sure a Rakk's ass is uglier than your crying face, Hazel."

"No, it's the ugliest thing on Pandora."

"We're getting you in there so you can get yourself comfortable. Your ribs could be cracked. You need to be back at Base Camp as quick as possible." Cinder finalised her statements by pulling one of Hazelnut's arms over her shoulders, causing the smaller girl to slump up against her. Hazelnut let out a grumble in reply as she was half carried into the caravan. When the door opened, all eyes were on the three of them.

"Augh, finally. Hazel is here, we can go." Fiona said from the drivers seat.

"Well, sorry for us existing." Cinder commented in annoyance.

"The fuck are they doing in here?" Astrid spoke up after Cinder had her say.

"Sorry to break it to you, but this how we're getting back to Base Camp and the Inn. You waited for her, you waited for us." Rhys piped up.

"Who said we were going to assist you?"

"Look, be at our throats all you want, but we really need to get moving. It's no thanks to you that wingnut over here is injured and the extent of said injuries are unclear. And we can only do something about it when we get back to Base Camp."

"Thank you." Hazelnut said in a frustrated tone, practically dangling off of Cinder by now. There wasn't much more argument after that. Nobody had any energy to argue after everything that had happened. The caravan was started, Pistachio assisted her sister - with no thanks regarded to Rhys or Cinder, if the author may add - and everyone couldn't help themselves but stare.

Stare like vultures over their piteous prey laying exhausted on the desert ground. Alienating Rhys and Cinder like they didn't belong there at all - proving their point. It was as if they felt the need to assert some sort of dominance over the two. And it started to work - a little bit.

They eventually sat themselves down in the corner, finding it a humble new home away from everyone's prying eyes and eavesdropping ears. Nobody paid them much more attention, thankfully. They wished not to be disturbed, their voices low as they talked shit about the lowly ways of humans when they were quite obviously superior for the simple reason that they had extra power, faces pink with unspoken submission, hands clasped together like lifelines. But that topic petered out all too quick, only lasting for an hour of the four hours back to Base Camp.

Their next topic was a question as old as time, one Cinder had answered what seemed to be so long ago... Do penguins have knees?

*

It was a day after that fateful raid. Cinder sat in her room, book held close, distracting herself with the black words on the pages. But nothing she seemed to do would get her mind off the argument in the caravan. Those words, still burning in her tattoos. Nothing of worship. Monsters. Not human...

She let out a minuscule sigh, closing her eyes. She focused on her tattoos, feeling them burn, collecting, associating the power with how she had felt standing before Ares, consumed with rage for what he had done to Maria, in front of her dead loved one, full of sorrow at the prospect of him never coming back and the need to protect the possibility of revival. She opened her eyes. Her tattoos glowed indigo, the arrow formed around her hand. The killing arrow. She closed her eyes again, willing it to create something different. She felt the hardened energy collapse into a wave, gathering around her arm. The healing power.

She doubted she would ever get over what had happened just a day ago. She was glad that today, nothing had happened, except for the countless looks from the other raiders and the new customers to her Inn she had never been happier to serve. Interaction with people who didn't see her as a siren worthy of worship, or a monster, or anything more than the inn keeper. That's what she got to be that day. The Inn Keeper. It had been particularly busy, but she would never have been happier for the money she earned and the money she would earn with this new round of people. The power on her arm had faded, but the glow was still there.

Her bedroom door opened and she panicked momentarily, knowing all too well that she could never hide the glow in time. But the key word is momentarily. It was only Rhys... Well, it wasn't 'only Rhys'. She was beginning to take everything from the previous day into account. She couldn't afford to take him for granted. He lingered in her doorway, leaning into the door, giving her that stare he always seemed to have. Cinder let out a sigh and moved closer to the edge of her bed, patting down on the space beside her as if she was beckoning. Rhys took that as invitation, a grateful little smirk on his lips.

He sat beside her, already feeling himself more at ease with the familiar softness of her bed, the way she sat by his side, book in hand, ignoring him yet enjoying his company in turn. It was all so familiar, so comforting, so... Homely. It was like a home to him. He wouldn't admit that, however, and maybe he never would... Actually, yes, he would admit that to her sometime in the future, the near future if possible. He couldn't take it for granted that she would be there to heal him if something were to go wrong once again. He glanced over at Cinder, who was once again back into her book, the glowing of her tattoos that he'd spotted earlier already fading. Absentmindedly, he ran his hand through her long hair, the sensation unfamiliar despite their time spent together... He loved it. He continued to toy with the black locks of her hair, weaving it between his fingers with a smug little smirk. 

"Did you want something?" Cinder finally asked as Rhys began to purposefully free her hair of knots, her becoming slightly nervous at his actions.

"Company." He said without thinking, continuing to play with her hair, hiding a joyous smile from her. She snorted.

"Company? Can't you find that anywhere around here?" Her tone was a mix of sarcasm and playfully annoyed.

"Yeah, but it's not the right kind of company." Cinder raised an amused eyebrow, unable to hide the smirk. What the hell was he going on about?

"What counts as the right kind of company?" She asked, playing along.

"Well, right now, you." Cinder blushed at his reply. 

"What?" She couldn't help the disbelieving tone that entered her voice.

"You know, you're quiet. You don't eye me off unless I just did something stupid, which is... Okay you do that pretty often, but not like they do." And besides, I'm kinda in love with you, Cinder, but I'm not going to say that. Rhys just couldn't tell her yet. Maybe some other time. But not now. Cinder shifted and grabbed her hair back, moving from his grip. Though she couldn't see his face, she could tell his words were genuine. It was actually kinda creepy. "Cinder?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Rhys?"

"Why did you revive me?" Her heart froze. Her face became hued even darker with pink.

"Wh- why do you ask?" She averted her eyes, unable to keep contact with his.

"It's just... The way they took everything, it sounds like you would be better off leaving me behind. I know you didn't do it for them. So, why'd you do it?" She glanced away, her heart hammering in her chest. She didn't know what to say. She just... She just couldn't find the courage to say anything to him. "What? You're in love with me? Is that it?"

"WHAT?! NO!" She felt her face grow even hotter, hinting only at the otherwise. "It's just..." She trailed off, covering her face with her hands. "I don't know. It just... It feels so weird without you around, I just couldn't... I couldn't imagine life without you and didn't want to live any reality to that." God, could she have phrased that any worse? Great job Cinder, he knows now.

"Wow. You do like me." There was no way of telling if he was being serious or not.

"I already said I don't!" She shouted back.

"No, you said you didn't love me, not like me." He said with a playful smirk, leaning closer to her.

"That's like, the same thing!" She replied, leaning away. "But seriously, did you want anything other than company?" He paused and sat back up.

"Yes, I did actually. And after that little explanation, I'm sure you'll be glad with it."

"Get on with it."

"You remember a while back when you had that nightmare and you came running to see me?"

"Jesus, how could I forget?"

"I'm kinda doing that right now." He gave her a sheepish look.

"Figures." She sighed, closing her book properly. "Just stay on your side of the bed."

"Wait, what?"

"You let me stay with you for the night after I told you about my crazy dream. A favour for a favour, I guess." Rhys tried to breath, but couldn't. Had she just... Holy crap she had. "So, you might as well explain the dream you had before I change my mind." He smiled gratefully. See? She really was the right kind of company.

*

"I'm really sorry you had to go through that."

"It's fine. It still wasn't as bad as that one you told me about... Or the actual fight in the caravan."

"Yeah, I know... I don't think I'll ever get over that."

"They're still mad at us."

"When won't they be? If I'm not mistaken, they're probably all in the dining area voting for a new leader as we speak. Better not leave the siren girl to it."

"You are and or were a great leader, but it's the unfortunate truth. They've had a day to plot against us. It's probably already organised - a mutiny to kill us and get our bounty."

"That's what they thought we were gonna do to them."

"I know. They might think they're giving us a taste of our own medicine."

"You couldn't be righter." They both let out a sigh. "Hey, imagine that though. All of them plotting a mutiny to kill us and what are we doing?"

"Lying in bed and talking about dreams?" They didn't care about how stupidly giggly they were getting.

"Man, if Danika saw us right now, she would short circuit."

"I wouldn't put it past her." They paused their tired dribble to laugh.

"As much as I've enjoyed this talk, I'm tired as fuck and I'm going to sleep." Everything she said spoke for itself. She loved talking to him, but her will to sleep was beginning to overpower everything she knew. Sooner or later, she would be dozing off. Better not make this awkward.

"It's okay. You deserve it."

"You do too."

"You more."

"Shut up."

"Goodnight." If she really wanted to be sleeping, she wouldn't be fighting him. Cinder sighed.

"Goodnight." After a few minutes, she had fallen asleep. He waited for longer, never truly knowing when she would be in rem sleep. After twenty minutes or so, he turned over, looking at her peacefully sleeping face. Deep down he knew that despite her innocent resting features, she was no doubt being haunted by horrors unknown even to him. He ignored that fact and cupped her cheek in his hand. Careful, so as not to wake her up, he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. He pulled away with red in his face, his heart pounding.... She was still asleep.

"Thank you, Cinder." He had to force himself not to continue with, 'I love you'. 

*

A song began to play. It was Cinder's alarm. 6:30. Time to be up and at it.

Only, Cinder was making no move to get up and turn the alarm off to get ready for another shitty work day, let alone move at all. Rhys was just about ready to jump up and turn it off himself, but there was one thing stopping him. And that was Cinder herself. Because she was using him as a pillow. And she had broken her own rule of staying on their sides of the bed. 

"Cinder, get your alarm please." Rhys mused tiredly without even bothering to open his eyes. Cinder groaned.

"No." She replied in a whiney tone, only hugging her arms even tighter around him.

"You have work to do. Get up."

"I don't wanna work today."

"You've gotta."

"Can't I sleep in for once? Just this once?" There was a moments pause. "Please?"

"I mean, fine, but get that stupid alarm already."

"Hey Alura, can you get that for me? More treats later if you do it." There was a faint scuttling noise followed by the song ending abruptly. "Thank you."

"Wow. Lazy much."

"Augh, says you. Besides, if you haven't noticed, I'm quite comfortable here." She couldn't help the stupid little blush on her face as she huddled even closer to him. With her head resting on his chest, she could hear the reassuring sound of his heartbeat, reminding her that he really was alive. That he was okay now... Maybe she could stop saying she wasn't in love with him, because it was starting to sound like a huge lie.

At hearing her say those words, Rhys practically melted. He felt his face grow warmer with shame as he wrapped his arms around Cinder, bringing their unfinished embrace full circle, shifting her warm body up his into a closer embrace. He felt his senses melt as she snuggled into the crook of his neck. He closed his eyes once more, contented with this beautiful moment, however close or far from proper intimacy it may have been. In a careful movement, he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead before replying in a voice lost in breathless joy.

"Same."


	17. Dead or Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder and Rhys start to seek a way to earn back Astrid's trust, while Hazelnut works for them silently to find why everyone is acting so strange.
> 
> But like everything must, it doesn't end up as planned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think I'll let this chapter speak for itself

"Why are we here? We really shouldn't be here." Rhys fretted to Cinder as they walked as casually as they could down the main street of Tumbleweed Valley. "You do remember that, right?"

"I know we shouldn't be here. But we need somewhere to try and figure out how to get the raiders back on our side. Hazel might care about us, but it's pretty clear nobody else even wants us alive. A place like this seems pretty good." She replied, brushing her fringe from her eyes as she scanned the streets.

"Right, right. And should I remind you that we're kinda wanted criminals for one of the highest offences in our galaxy and we're just... Wandering around a town full of people who will shoot us on sight for that reward. Dead or alive, remember?" Right as he said it, the bounty boards of the town came into view. Some of the faces there were familiar, others weren't. Amongst the jumble of wanted posters, Cinder could spot her own and Rhys's. He did have a point. And the numbers on their posters were bound to attract all sorts of bounty hunters. She knew that from experience. 

"Who's to say we'll be recognised? The only people in this town that know me are the shopkeeper and that bartender Hazelnut was flirting with."

"And Astrid."

"Yes... " Saying it stung like salt in the wound. "And Astrid. But she isn't here and the others wouldn't do anything to us from fear." She hoped she was sounding confident with her words.

"Where are we supposed to go, then? Where can we go to talk this out without being listened to? Eridium Vault?"

"We can't go to Eridium Vault because Psychos once openly talked about their plans there and Astrid heard it all. She may not be working today, but I wouldn't put it past cyborg boy to track every word we say."

"Well, where to then?"

"If you can be useful and think of a place, that would help."

"I've been here all of two times, Cinder. The first time the others dragged me into stealing from a bandit camp and the second time we hid in Eridium Vault."

"It was you who stole it!" She replied with a gleeful smirk.

"Wait shit, NO! THAT WAS SASHA!" 

"Oi! You two! Shut your yaps!" An orange haired shopkeeper shouted from her store doorway. Amelia.

"Sorry." Cinder called back, her expression going sheepish. "Keep it down. Who knows who it'll be next time. They might just shoot and the events from ere-yesterday might repeat themselves." She went on, her tone much lower now.

"Figures." There was silence as they kept their pace, heading towards the centre of the town. Cinder had never been so far into it, but she doubted it would bring her any worse than luck than she had already earned. She just continued to hope that nobody would recognise her. "So then-"

"Ask where we're going one more time and I will shoot you."

"That's a little counterproductive. You weren't saying that when you were reviving me and you certainly weren't saying it this morning." Cinder froze where she walked, her heart skipping a beat at the memory. She began reaching for her holster.

"We don't talk about this morning in public." She hissed, plucking the gun from its place and raising it to be eye level. "That was between us and us alone."

"Excuse me, but you were quite comfortable where you were." He replied, recalling what she had said after Alura turned off the alarm.

"I was and I stand by that fact. But nobody is to know that happened."

"I don't see why you're being so secretive about it. You're making it sound like we hooked up." She made a noise of frustration in reply, a finger to her lips. 

"Say anything like that again and I WILL leave you for dead." Smiling sheepishly and shrugging awkwardly, he tried to brush it off.

"How bout we just... Find a place to hide?" He hesitated on the second fragment of his question as a patron passed them rather closely.

"How bout you actually help me find somewhere?" He shot her a glare. They continued to walk in silence for a few minutes, keeping clear of the people as they stared. 

"Is it just me, or is that guy following us?" Rhys muttered as he spied the same brunet man for a third time. Cinder looked over her shoulder discreetly, seeing him. Messily dressed - as if he was homeless. Strikingly orange eyes. Smoking something and a bottle of vodka in the other hand. Cinder didn't recognise him, even from the many times she had visited this place. He gave her a sleazy smile as he met her stare. She turned back around in a moment.

"Yes and no. Either way, we need to avoid him. He could be a bounty hunter." She quickened her pace. Rhys followed the action, keeping to her side.

"We need to find somewhere to hide and fast."

"I know, I know... There!" She pointed at an outstanding building with an embezzled sign.

"What?"

"We should go in there. Nobody goes there, except the already drunk... It's a bar."

"Fever House?"

"It's run by three 16 year old kids."

"You said you didn't know where to go just a few minutes ago?"

"Fuck you." She dodged past an obvious Vault Hunter, thinking about their bounty once again, and headed for Fever House.

"Cinder, this is a bad idea."

"Since when were my ideas good, Rhys? They've only ever gotten us into trouble." She wasn't lying. Almost everything she did led herself and usually him into estranged dangers. No doubt, once this plan had been conceived, it was bound to hit failure. They crossed the distance between the apartments to Fever House, cautious of every movement they made. Cautious of the man they presumed to be following them.

They entered the bar with a masking swagger, giving it a good look before deeming it safe. A boy with dark skin and contrastingly white hair, somewhere in his mid teens was standing behind the counter and wiping a glass while he talked to the other twin bartenders who were too absorbed in their conversation to have even noticed the two of them walk in. A few patrons moved about the bar, much less people than Eridium Vault. And much less bloody too. Another difference was the dance floor incorporated into the setup, a few thoroughly drunk people sluggishly moving to the beat of.... Well, nothing really. Just the song of their own minds.

Ignoring them, Rhys and Cinder sat down at one of the tables, weary of everyone despite how much they weren't even paying attention to them. Their rep wasn't looking good anymore with murder and trespassing charges being added onto their names. They needed no attention to be brought to themselves.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Nothing so far. We need to figure it out."

"Where would the best place to start be?"

"I don't know. They were telling me you're great with plans the other day. You know, before that whole thing at that camp happened. But they said you've come up with some good ones before."

"I'm not about to deny that - they have come in good use many times before. But this is out of my revenue. Those were about committing crime, risqué kinda stuff. This is about earning trust again."

"Yes. So we need a good plan. Maybe you can start us off..."

"You two over there. Want anything?" The teenager behind the counter called out to them.

"We're good!" Cinder replied sheepishly. They weren't here to get drunk, they were here to figure things out. The door of the bar opened and closed, but they ignored it.

"Okay. First thing, we need a good reason for them to trust us again." Rhys finally said, initiating the beginning of the plan.

"Yes! Good. That reason being...?"

"That's the hard part. We gave them all of our reasons in the caravan. We hide it because there's too many people who won't hesitate to use us, or murder us, experiment on us. We aren't..." The next word stung to say. "Monsters... We're both murderers and we're both short of patience... That's definitely going to make this harder."

"True. But maybe we can convince them that it only applies to certain people - which is the truth, need I remind you. It's as Hazelnut said, if we were going to do something to them, we would have done it by now."

"Wait. We're both impatient." Cinder waited for him to follow up. "And that's been proven by how we act. Neither of us like waiting and we usually have something to say about it. And if we want someone dead, it's going to happen quickly."

"What are you getting at?"

"It's just like you just said, if we were going to do something to them, we would have done it by now."

"So you're saying that we have to prove that to them?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Okay then. How do we prove that to them?"

"Your turn."

"Get fucked." She took time to think, tuning out and going into her own world of thoughts. But something quickly brought her back. She had just caught wind of what the bartenders were talking about.

"Speaking of which, have you two seen the number of Psychos lately? They have been filling up the streets, chanting about how this is the dawn of a new age or something of that effect." One of the twins was speaking, the female of the two.

"I know. There's been talk in our rivals bar that they're trying to claim Pandora and there's already a group of people that are trying to stop them. What were they called again? It was the something Raiders." The male twin replied to his sister.

"Epsilon Raiders." The boy behind the counter said, specifying who. Cinder's stomach plummeted. Had they already earned a name among the people? Why was she learning this when they were falling to pieces? Psychos knew the eight of them well. But the public knew too?

"Yeah, that's the one. The Epsilon Raiders. They've been taking out camps all over the place. They even got the camp nearest the entrance here in town."

"Yes. That's probably why there's so many Psychos. There's another camp in this valley. They're bulking up numbers if they strike them as well."

"We have to take down a camp on our own." Cinder finally said. Rhys blinked at her twice, clearly confused by her statement.

"I'm sorry?"

"There's another camp here in Tumbleweed Valley. If we act like we're going to carry on the raiders even when nobody else wants to, it'll show that we're impatient. We want the Psychos dead, so we're going to go ahead and do it. We aren't going to hurt them and while we can be cruel, it's not the only thing about us. Because we're choosing targets who only ever do the world wrong. We're choosing the same targets as them." A strange expression crossed his face when she finished.

"That's actually... Really good. Making more than one statement at once." He silently questioned why hadn't thought of it himself. For the master plan maker he claimed to be, he was falling flat... To Cinder of all the possible people people.

"Exactly. And if they're all stupid enough not to understand what we're trying to prove, Hazelnut will get it."

"That girl gets everything. I'm sure she'll convince Pistachio, if nobody else."

"And everyone trusts Pistachio. They'll listen to her if she has something to say."

"You know, this plan may actually work.... If we can take down a whole bandit camp by ourselves."

"I'm sure we can handle it. We're sirens."

"But... Then what? What if it fails?"

"If we die in the battle trying to prove ourselves or if they just won't accept us?"

"Either."

"Then we can kiss Pandora goodbye." They both let out a sigh at hearing her say those words.

"Because then there won't be any Epsilon Raiders to fight?"

"Exactly." 

"We can't let this fail..." Rhys murmured, setting his head in his hands momentarily. There was silence between them. "Want a drink? I'm really feeling one right now."

"Actually, yeah. We could use it right now." Cinder replied. They had come here not to get drunk but to make a plan. But now that the plan had been made and the stakes they were realising it would undergo were in place, getting a little tipsy didn't sound too bad after all.

"Want anything in particular?" He asked, standing up, hands now by his side.

"Surprise me... And I don't mean spike my drink when I say that."

"I never planned to." He said over his shoulder, walking up to the bar. She sighed, rubbing her forehead. This was really some heavy stuff. God, if they failed it really was over. It was harsh to think about...

God, they had come from being the raiders that were beginning to end this new war with a stand that counted, but a few too many bullet wounds and one huge mistake later had brought it all crashing down, no second chances. It felt like the fight in the caravan had happened centuries ago and the time it was taking them to reunite with their fellow warriors would never end. But it had only been two days. Only yesterday did they return to the inn with new enemies. Only that previous night had they suffered through nightmares they knew would last longer than they would anticipate. Only that morning had they... 

Cinder stopped herself there. It really hadn't been long at all.

"Hey baby, what you doing here all alone?" Of course this had to happen. Cinder groaned before turning to the drunk enough man who was already trying to come onto her.

"My boyfriend just left to go to the bar. He'll be back soon." She replied to whoever had spoken. When she turned around, it was the man they had seen multiple times out in the open of the valley. Up close, the obvious features were enhanced, along with a few... Questionable aspects. She could now see his eyes were dilated to an unnatural extent and he stunk of illegal substance. And he was unfortunately tall. Very tall. And muscular to a fairly good extent. If he had wanted to, he could have beat her right then and there... She checked to make sure her gun was still in place.

"Oh, pretty girl got herself a man, does she?" He slurred, sitting down beside Cinder and throwing an arm around her shoulders. She immediately cringed from discomfort.

"Yes. You would expect a pretty girl to have a man, wouldn't you?"

"He doesn't have to know." Yep. He was being obvious about this.

"I'm faithful and you're drunk and he'll know." Up so close, she could see he was exhaling smoke with every breath and it was drenched in the stench of alcohol. Her discomfort increased by the second as his hand began dragging down her arm. Her tattoos singed beneath the trench coat, wanting nothing more than to shoot her faithful arrow right through his heart. She could have done it... 

Tumbleweed Valley didn't need living proof of her heritage.

"Drunk is such a strong word, don't ya think?" He continued, trailing his hand from her arm and planting it on her hip. She cringed, her heart throttling with warning signals. She could recognise a situation like this. She knew from experience what it could spiral into. Would spiral into. She needed no repeat. Where was Rhys? If she could pretend he was her boyfriend for even thirty seconds, it could get her out of this...

"It's the weakest word I can think to describe your state of mind." She snarled, snark overplayed into her tone to get her point across.

"Oh come on babe. Don't be like that." She grabbed his arm, removing it from around her, returning it to him.

"I'm not your babe. I'm not anyone to you. Go back to your drunk friends and hit on one of them."

"No homo. You know how it is." 

"I'm a girl. I don't know how that is."

"Ya know, we'd be great together." He whispered, leaning into her ear. She recoiled away from him, pulling up her trench coat and closing it around her chest - just as a precaution. This guy wouldn't get to second base yet.

"We really wouldn't. I'm not attracted to creep balls like you." He exhaled in an exaggerated fashion, blowing the smoke into her face on the utter purpose of getting on her nerves. If he was enough of a prick, maybe she would give in. She didn't have a drink to spike, after all.

"Wow. Don't be so harsh babe. We can jus-" he was abruptly cut off as two glasses hit their table.

"And just what do you think you're doing with my girlfriend?" Cinder fought back a smirk at how absolutely serious Rhys sounded. The man turned and met his expression, smiling as if this was something he could brush off in a few seconds.

"I was just admiring your girl. That's all. There's nothin to worry about." He replied, standing up to meet Rhys's height - literally. 

"It was a bit more than admiring, I know that much." He sounded. So. Angry. He was speaking through his teeth, one eye twitching. If this was an act, he was playing this fury rather well.

"Oh come on, it wasn't anything you wouldn't want to see."

"I don't touch her unless she says I can. And creeps like you don't get to touch her unless I say you can." Growling. He was literally growling.

"Well if ya want that to stop happening, just slip this into her fruity little cocktail." He flipped a strange packet over to Rhys, who didn't dare to catch it. He was breathing heavily, holding back a fit of rage. Who did this guy think he was? He wasn't stupid. He knew what this guy was trying to give him. "What? You got a problem with this?"

"Yes."

"Well, go ahead and tell me what you gotta say." 

"Maybe. I. WILL!" In no less than a second, his metal hand crunched into the other man's nose in a powerful hit, sending him flying backwards into another table. "Come on Cinder. Let's go." He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her from the seat. She gave a surprised grunt, but went with the action.

"YOU TWO! OUT!" The bartender yelled, flashing them a menacing look. They both nodded. They weren't even going to fight the barkeep on this one.

"YOU FUCKING SHITHEAD! SHE AIN'T EVEN YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" The creeper yelled from the ground, attempting to stand again, his hand reaching for a previously concealed gun. His nose was dripping with mingling blood and mucus, though he didn't wipe it away.

"WELL, YOU'RE A MISJUDGING BASTARD!!" Rhys yelled in retaliation, running forward and landing another hit, this time to the chin. The asshole grabbed his gun and shot, only just managing to miss Rhys, instead firing out at the twins, who squealed and jumped down behind the bar, nearly knocking down the bartender.

"Rhys, let's just go!" Cinder managed to say before Rhys landed another dangerous hit, grabbing his hand again and running from the bar and out into the street.

"YOU CAN'T RUN FROM ME! I'LL MURDER THE BOTH OF YOU!!" They heard him yell from behind them, followed by gunfire.

"So much for keeping a low profile, but that was fucking awesome! I can't believe you hit him that hard!" Cinder shouted as they cut through the streets on speeding feet, drawing the attention of every passerby.

"Honestly, I don't believe it either!" Rhys replied with a disbelieving chuckle.

"Man! Wait until we tell Hazelnut!"

*

She woke to the sound of her alarm, this time playing something of late 23rd century alternative album. The sheets were a mess, she could already tell. A pulsation in her head hinted prematurely that a headache was on the way, making her want to stay in bed forever - if that was in fact the case. She rolled onto her right side, slapping the alarm off. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She ran her fingers through her fringe, straightening the mess it had become in her sleep, setting the sheets aside with a yawn. About to get up, she sat on the edge of the bed, focusing on not going back to sleep. She needed to stop slacking off with her job.

"Another day, another dollar... Hopefully. Alright, let's just... Get this over with." She said, standing up. But just as she was about to be properly standing, two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back onto the bed, followed by three words.

"Not so fast." She hadn't remembered any conversation that allowed Rhys back in here last night, but he was most definitely here and he was pulling her back and away from her responsibilities. She groaned as he lay back down, still holding onto her.

"Augh, Rhys, I've got work to do. Let go of me..." She whined, squirming under his grip. He replied by kissing her cheek. She tensed up, blooming scarlet at the act of affection. He seemed to be showering her with that lately. It had been four days since they had returned to the Inn and three of them had started similar to this... She realised with an unsettled mind that yes, she did remember him coming back in last night. In fact, a lot of things from last night were returning. 

The nightmare. The balcony. The talk. The promise. The song. 

She stopped squirming with a sigh, giving in. It was obvious he didn't want to let go... Or maybe he just wouldn't let go because he had promised 'to keep her safe'. 'Let her know he's still alive'. 'Help them forget everything, even if it's just for a few minutes'... She could spare a few minutes... It was comforting and annoying all at once. Of course the nightmare had to do with all that. Of course she had spilled about it. Of course he had tried to comfort her - since she had been most devastated by the memory of his death (of all things). Of course they had ended up like this...

Slightly annoyed, Cinder spun in Rhys's arms, turning herself around, draping herself over him and pulling the sheets back over them both. She lay her head on his collar, nuzzling his neck. Maybe if she returned the affection - in her own aggressive way, of course - he would let her go and let her do her job. 

A part of her wanted this to be wholeheartedly genuine - the part of her that was in love. The rest of her - the part of her that kept denying it - wanted it to happen so she could do her job and get along with her life. Another small part of her - one stuck in a conflicting place of mind - was basically telling her that she REALLY hated her job and that it could wait a few more minutes and that she REALLY was in love so she could spare to show some affection for once.

And in all honesty, she was listening to that part the most.

He began to hum, pressing a kiss into her temple before hugging her tighter and resting his chin on her head. The tune was the one from the previous night. She felt a slight comfort in that. After a short time, he broke from the hum, quietly singing the lyrics as he caressed her hair.

"And he's blue~. And he's blue~." She bit back the urge to join him on the next verse. 

To silence herself, she kissed his neck.

He tensed up for a moment, surprised she had bothered to return any of the affection he was giving her. Sure, only a fraction of it. But it was anything at all. She knew she was getting this reaction from him, and in smug revenge, did it again. And again. And again. She could feel his heart rate beginning to increase. She bit back another urge - this one to laugh at him and how flustered he was getting. She didn't need to see his face to know he was blooming scarlet. The simple heat in his neck said it all.

And yes, he was an absolutely flustered mess.

He had not expected her to... Well... Return it at all. Yet here she was, kissing his neck like it meant nothing. As if it was... Normal. In reality, it was in no way normal. It was quite the opposite. And of course, he wouldn't stand for her being the only one to do this.

After another few kisses, Rhys forced himself to sit up, bringing her with him. Even just that simple movement had to make they both completely readjust where they were. He then spent the many following minutes returning the exact actions she had, causing her to not only become agitated that now she would have compete to prove she was better at showing affection, but also because, to put it bluntly, she was getting a little hot and bothered by it.

To be blunt about it again, they spent the next twenty minutes or so kissing each other in various places that weren't the other persons lips.

But Cinder would be the salty bitch to let it end.

She was beginning to grow impatient with all this. Even if it was wonderful, it couldn't last forever. She had a job to do. She had spared to show him affection. This needed to end. But how, was the question at hand. What on Earth was she supposed to do to get this to stop? Just getting up? Telling him this needed to stop? Giving in and just keeping the inn closed for the day?... That wasn't an option, unfortunately.

Finally, she got an idea. One that could go one of two possible ways. 1. He would become utterly surprised and would let her go from shock, or 2. He would start making out with her. One sounded much better than the other - but in a dark part of her, the other was something she craved. She so shamefully craved. She was willing to take the bet. Either get what she wanted and get on with life, or go out with a bang.

She sat up, gazing into his eyes longingly. She braced herself, telling herself that it would be over in a second and that she just had to do it. She squeezed her eyes shut, leant forward and kissed him.

On the mouth.

It lasted no longer than a second and had been nothing more than their lips vaguely brushing, but she couldn't help the excitement of it. Risqué all the way. And what she achieved from it was the first option. Her true intention. His eyes were wide from shock and his tentative grip on her faded, his arms releasing her. She gave him a sly smirk, pushing off of him and turning over. She went to switch on her lamp, only to feel a hand on her chin.

She barely had time to turn back around before he had kissed her back. She got option two.

Well... Sort of.

He wouldn't dare push too many boundaries on a first (well, second) kiss. Even so, it was obvious he had been waiting for his opportunity to do this. There was a longing in it - a bit of a hunger, if you will. Though nobody would know besides him, she was the exact same. Evident in every movement they made to be closer. In every second they didn't let go. Every. Breathless. Second.

Then it was over. They parted. There was a moment of nothing, just their hearts pounding in their ears and the hot air between them as they regained their breath. For a moment, they both contemplated going back again, but then found reason. What were they? A couple? Absolutely not. Just because they loved each other in sultry silence and were finally coming around to their feelings and fantasies did not mean they were a couple. That didn't mean they were in a relationship. "I shouldn't have done that." Rhys muttered.

"Me either." Cinder replied.

"I am so sorry."

"Likewise."

"Never speak of this again and pretend it never happened?"

"Never speak of this again and pretend it never happened."

They both parted completely, losing all contact with each other, Cinder standing up and grabbing her coat and normal clothes and retreating to the bathroom, Rhys curling up into a ball and throwing the sheets over his head. They were both totally red faced and embarrassed. How could she be so stupid as to make that her solution? It was just an excuse to kiss him! And she knew it! And why the hell did he have to go and kiss her back? What an idiot! 

*

The dining area was almost silent as Hazelnut sat alone, her tracking computer open. She suspected that at this time, everyone would still be asleep and with Pistachio away on a called mission - something needed to be stolen - she would have time to find the signal she had been receiving for a the past few days. She rubbed her aching ribcage with a limp hand, the other hand flying the over the keys of the keyboard as she entered in the morse code signal search formula (try saying that ten times fast). Without the decoder there or the connection cord, she had to do it all manually - not that she minded.

There was a loud beep from the laptop as the formula began to work and started finding all possible signals, which in turn caused her to growl and attempt to mute the program - there were still people trying to sleep and she didn't want another thing being held against her. She managed to mute the machine and hissed as her ribs screamed in pain at the sudden movements. She kept forgetting she had cracked ribs. It was beginning to lessen in pain levels, but certain things kept triggering it back up. She focused on taking slow and measured breaths and looked at the data that was now spilling all over the screen.

She zoomed in on the galaxy diagram, closing in on a star system at the edge. She zoomed into where Pandora would be, knowing that most other signals wouldn't even reach her here. She kept moving in and selected her star system, finding three possible morse code signals in that area, and opened the specific code search. From remembering what she could, she typed in five words, 'children of the lunar vault'. She cringed to think of that line. It was the only thing she had been receiving from this source and she was growing desperate to know where it was coming from. And from there she might find out what it might mean.

Her skin crawled with all the possibilities those words could harbour. Children of the lunar vault? She thought it over even more as she watched on of the three signals disappear, having lost all connotations to a vault in the message. The last two remained. One from Promethia and the other from Elpis. She zoomed in and selected the signal from Promethia, giving the code a good look before discounting it. Being able to decipher morse code by itself came in handy to warning her that the only thing Promethia offered was the message 'do not open the vaults'. She selected the signal from Elpis and gasped as she found what she was looking for. There in the code was the message 'children of the lunar vault', coming from Elpis. The moon... Her home.

The door to the dining area opened and without checking to see who it was, Hazelnut slammed the tracker closed, putting her hat back on her head as if to pretend she had been doing nothing suspicious. She waited for footsteps to approach her or a voice to point her out, but there was nothing. She didn't dare turn around, simultaneous fear freezing her in place. She felt that if she turned around, she would see something horrific. A living nightmare, perhaps? Her breathing became even more ragged and her hands were petrified by the sides of her head. Sweat formed and fell steadily down her brow. To stop herself from a panic attack, she held her breath and willed them away. Willed the demon away. Willed whatever creature it was away... She heard the doors close and shuffling recede into the hallway. "Was zum Teufel?" She murmured as she peered over her shoulder and at the door, taking a few shallow breaths. There was no movement from the swinging doors, just eerie unmoving silence. 

She turned back and attempted to take a deep breath, only to be cut off as pain shot into her side. She really needed a better fix to that. Something that wasn't just a bandage put in place in hopes of keeping it steady. She picked up the tracker and moved to a different table, one where she could see the door at all times. She sat herself down by a wall table where she could see the door even with her eyes cast onto the tracker screen. 

Many minutes passed without a retaliation of the event, leaving her with an eerie feeling; like something in this inn wasn't correct. Something that didn't belong. And she had been here long enough to be able to notice things like that. Maybe she would report it to Cinder when she was awake. But for now, she still had to figure out what it might all mean. 

However, right as she went to close the tracker and get her proper research equipment, the doors opened. She looked up immediately, to see who it was and check her own senses in the subject. It was Danika and she felt no fear, just a neutral acknowledgment of her existence. "Hey, did you come in here earlier?" She asked Danika as she breezed to the kitchen. She gave Hazelnut a weird look.

"Nah... I was sleepin. Why you ask?" Hazelnut glanced away.

"No reason." Danika shrugged and went into the kitchen and began her daily work. Hazelnut proceeded to close the tracker and stand up. She was done here for now, at least until she got her actual computer up and running. Picking up the laptop, she stepped out into the open and speed walked past the tables and out the doors, exiting into the hallway. As she breezed past the doorway, her skin crawled with memory of the sensations she had felt. And she hadn't even seen it.

Her feet took her faster than she intended, carrying her quickly to her room in the middle of the hallway. Only just when she was about to get there, she kinda ran into someone. Having been making sure the tracker was alright and wouldn't be dropped, she hadn't noticed someone leave their room and that person hadn't noticed her being oblivious or the rate at which she was walking. She fell back painfully, losing balance - and her grip on reality for a second there - and landing sharply. She dropped the tracker and her hat in the fall, groaning at losing both.

"Of course I didn't knock into a normal person." Nice. Of course the person she had knocked into was Vaughn. He seemed to be the only person she ever interacted with and it was becoming a real headache. Coping with hat stealing and having to annoy him all at once was an exhausting exercise, one she was growing sick of but knew had to continue. After all, pissing him off usually ended with an amusing result.

"Oh, says you." She replied without thinking of any clever reply, already gathering her thrown items. She checked the laptop to make sure it hadn't broken in two, letting out a sigh of relief upon seeing it was perfectly intact. Checking it for glitches or anything else broken would just have to come later. Just as she went to stand back up again, pain shot through her side, causing her to gag and instead remain where she sat.

"Get up, Hazelnut." 

"No." She said with a shake of her head. 

"What? You hit yourself that hard when you fell?"

"Like you would know. You're the one who's still standing, ya bitch." With a roll of his eyes and a not subtle 'ugh' of frustration, he offered a hand of help. Glaring, holding the laptop and hat closely to her chest with one hand, she reluctantly accepted the help, being hoisted to her feet. "Hey, did you go into the dining area earlier?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder for a moment.

"No. I've been in room four all morning. Why?" He replied, giving her a strange look. 

"..." She looked behind herself properly, giving the door a long hard stare. "... No reason." She finished, returning her gaze to him. While she felt like being awkward and maybe saying something about it, she decided against it and shoved past him and further down into the hallway.

"Oh, come on. There's always a reason with you." He stated, following her as she opened the unlocked door to room 5 and threw the laptop down onto the bed. Thank god Pistachio wasn't still sleeping there. "That's not the end of it. I know it's not the end of it." He continued as he reached the doorway.

"I was in the dining room with this laptop, trying to get some personal work done, but something came into the room that I didn't see and... I just froze. It... It scared me to fucking death. I swear, if I had turned around, I would have died." She paused, turning to him. 

"That bad?"

"Yep." She rummaged around the pile of things she had brought from Base Camp, trying to find her actual research computer.

"You sure it wasn't Danika?"

"Nope. She came just a few minutes later."

"So, you don't know who it was?"

"It wasn't human, that's all I know. I'm not scared of no human. But that right there," she felt a physical shiver trail up her back. "That was something from another universe." There was silence for a moment. She kept on her search. Her faded prescription was making things all too difficult these days.

"What do you think it was?"

"I really don't know. Nothing I've encountered ever made me feel like that. No siren, no skag, no animal, no monster. None of that scares as much as that thing behind me did." She made sure to emphasise the first example. She was definitely shitty at them all for betraying Rhys and Cinder and she was definitely going to let them know about it,

"Maybe it was the shadow man." He said it like it was a joke.

"Yeah, cause I totally believe in that urban legend."

"Just yesterday you were talking about black eyed children."

"THOSE EXIST!"

"Maybe it was one of them, then." She thought it over, pausing her search. Then she shrugged and threw aside some loose bandages that weren't packed away.

"Nah, I've seen one of those before. Besides, nobody's out front to invite them in." She finally found her normal laptop, brushing some dust from the cover and picking it up with a smirk. "This should do it." She set her hat back on her head and exited the room with haste, closing the door and setting back off down the hallway in seconds.

"What are you even doing with those things?"

"Researching. See, I've been monitoring signals across our star system and I've found one in particular that really struck me as weird. It keeps saying 'children of the lunar vault'. Just earlier I managed to map where it's coming from, which is home... I mean Elpis." She hadn't meant to let that slip.

"You're from Elpis?"

"I thought my accent made it obvious though?" She opened the doors to the dining area, scanning for the seat she had before, before claiming as her own once again. He sat beside her, much to her distaste. "Did you want something?"

"Just watching." She gave him a glare, removed her hat and sat it on her lap - just a precaution - before booting up the computer. As usual, it was taking a while. She tapped her fingers against the keys without pressing anything, occupying her easily distracted mind. In the silence, though he said not a word to disturb it, he noticed strange markings on her knuckles. All knuckles of every hand. Like scars.

"Hey. I have a question."

"What is it now?"

"What's going on with you and the guys? I thought you and Rhys were, like, bros, but as soon as you found out him and Cinder were sirens, you turned on em. It just seems real weird that you would change your mind so quick, especially when Rhys had been dead only, like what an hour ago? It's just so... Unrealistic. Just... I never would have imagined you guys reacting like that, in response to finding out especially. And much less to Astrid's outburst. " Vaughn hesitated before giving an answer.

"I don't know if it's just me or if I'm talking for everyone here, but.... Astrid scared the crap out of me."

"What?" 

"You saw her. That wasn't the Astrid we know. She just... I don't even know how to describe it. She changed so quick. Honestly, I thought that if I said anything that differed with her opinion, she would kill me."

"I don't get it."

"Just look at what she did to you for saying otherwise. You have got cracked ribs now, because she just couldn't contain herself. Honestly, I couldn't care less about the siren thing. I mean, sure, it's annoying knowing Rhys kept such a secret for god knows how long we've known each other... But it was Astrid." Hazelnut hesitated to make a reply. 

"As much as I want to disagree with what you're saying... You aren't wrong. I mean, you guys are acting weird now, but she was just..." She bit her tongue.

"That wasn't Astrid."

"It's like she got possessed or something. Honestly. I don't get it. She even said when we met her the first time, she didn't believe and didn't care about the siren rumours."

"I know! It's so weird!"

"It's like 'so what is the truth?'. I don't know about you, but I think this is all such crap."

"I think that's the only thing we'll ever agree on."

"A most uncherished moment." They both snickered at the comment like children would. "But in all honesty, Astrid was wrong. Those two aren't the monsters." In her mind, she said more. 'She's the monster'. She didn't know why she didn't say it right then. They kept talking for a while, for once not fighting each other over the pettiest of things. They both knew it wouldn't last. And it was actually somewhat nice in such a terrible time.

It was only interrupted when Cinder came in, looking like a flustered mess who hadn't bothered to freshen up before leaving her room. Her face was bright red, her clothes were askew, her hair untamed. She was muttering to herself, chanting something over and over. She went into the kitchen and emerged with a mug, tugging at her fringe and continuing to mumble uselessly. Hazelnut hailed her over to the table, only wanting to be hospitable especially when Cinder looked like she was about to have a breakdown or already had, only for her to refuse the offer.

Right. She remembered who she was sitting beside. And that he was acting. Because his life depended on it. Even if it hurt to do so.

Hazelnut proceeded to spend the rest of the day interrogating the rest of the raiders, gathering information on the enemy. Who was on her side and who was against her. Trying to piece together what was going on so she could stop the feuding that was putting her planet in danger and help Cinder and Rhys make amends. After hours of waiting, capturing and gathering some needed and some unneeded data, she came up with some results.

Her findings were startling.

Now he just needed the right time to express them.

*

Hazelnut cut through the hallway with light feet, weary of the others and random dwellers who would be asleep at this time. But Cinder wouldn't be asleep by now, she hoped this was fact. It was only a speculation. But she was hoping it was correct to save herself from looking like a total tool. Swiftly, she made her way to the door of the break room and with hesitation, she knocked.

Nothing came of it. Nobody opened the door. Nothing could be heard from within the room. She checked the doorknob and it was locked tight. Stifling a guttural growl, she kept trying to open the door. "Cinder? Danika? Johnny? Rhys? I've kinda got something to say. Can ya let me in?" She called through the door.

"Nobody asked for you to be awake right now!" She heard Vaughn call from a room a few doors down.

"Nobody asked for your opinion either!" She retaliated, masking her amusement with frustration. She turned back to the door, her mind running through what she might need for a lock pick... Everything she would need were things she didn't have on her. She groaned, rattling the knob more harshly. "Guys. Come on. One of you better be in there. I have info you might like." She said as she as she continued knock.

The door unlocked and swung open in little more than a second. It was Danika.

"What you goin' on about? Info we might like?" She asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Yeah, I-" she was cut off as a large purple spider appeared on Danika's shoulder. It looked almost judging.

"Don' mind Alura. She won't bite." Hazelnut hesitated to continue speaking, even after Danika said the creature wouldn't hurt her.

"I have something I need to tell Cinder and Rhys. In regards to the raiders." She hoped she had worded that well enough. But Danika nodded and looked over at Alura.

"You'll pass that on to them, won't ya Lulu?" She asked with a smirk. Then Alura saluted and scuttled back off into the break room. Hazelnut, in all of her lifetime and every strange thing she had seen, could only muster a look that mirrored how she felt. Utter confusion. Brows high on her forehead and mouth hanging open. Danika opened the door wider, revealing a living room of sorts. Hazelnut looked around in wonder, still shocked from the spider encounter. It already looked nicer than the standard double she had been sharing with Pistachio for the past few days. "Those two've been worried sick these last few days. Keep saying something bout a raid and gainin' the trust of Astrid back... I'll never get it, but it's not good, I think." Danika went on before opening one of the doors and disappearing into the room beyond.

Hazelnut sat down on the lounge, finding it surprisingly soft and comfortable, like she could almost sink into it. She had never really experienced much comfort aside from a grotty and hard mattress in a cave that stunk of skag and rotting food. This was a true wonder. She looked around, drinking in the sight of it, absentmindedly picking her already short and filthy fingernails. This was where Cinder lived. Huh.

Not a moment after she sat, one of the doors along the wall opened, both Rhys and Cinder stumbling from it, looking dishevelled and promptly like they just woke up - adjusting their clothes, rubbing their eyes, generally looking like death wanted to claim them after such a sudden awakening. Hazelnut straightened her back, watching them closely as they both sat down. Rhys sat first, Cinder sitting next to him a moment afterwards. He put an arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" 

"Anything other than my sleeping patterns? Yes, actually." Cinder said after a short yawn.

"Oh. Sorry bout that. If I may ask, what did I intrude on?"

"Nothing, Hazel. Now, Cindy said you had something to tell us?" Rhys answered before Cinder could. Hazelnut hoped he was telling the truth, because she couldn't help but think she had intruded on something secretly intimate... And who was Cindy?

"Right." She took a deep breath to recollect herself before continuing. "I've managed to corner everyone at least once in the last three days and I found out that... It's an act." She only received a confused,

"What?" From Cinder and a,

"What's an act?" From Rhys.

"Everyone being against you guys. They've all forgiven you. Vaughn wasn't even angry at you guys. Like, at all. But just like everyone else, Astrid scared him into playing along in a hateful charade against you both. They're just... Acting."

"What are you saying?"

"None of them hate you. Except Astrid. She hates you. But none of the others do. But with the way Astrid just exploded like that, they all got scared of her. They were afraid that if they said something to support you, they would be killed. And there was evidence of that after you left, when she attacked me. They're all shit scared of her way more than they're angry at you."

"So... None of them hate us? They're just acting?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."

"How do we know you aren't lying?"

"Are you forgetting someone?" Cinder finally piped up, smirking. Rhys proceeded to let out a soft,

"shit."

"So ya know I'm telling the truth then?" Hazelnut asked, furthering their conversation.

"Yeah. We know." Cinder clarified.

"Only Astrid is a new enemy." Rhys muttered, recalling a conversation what must have been only two days ago. Maybe three. There was silence.

"Only Astrid is a new enemy..." Hazelnut exhaled before taking a deep breath and casting her eyes down. It didn't feel like their conversation should have ended there, but it did. She stared at the table for a minute or so. Before long, she stopped staring, smiled up at them and stood up. With a push of her glasses on her face and a straight little wave, she turned around. "Good luck!" She called over her shoulder, exiting the break room with haste. Rhys and Cinder remained in silence for a moment, tucked in each other's embrace. Finally, Rhys found words to break the fragile cone of silence.

"So Cinder, what were you saying before Cindy appeared?" She grimaced at him calling Alura Cindy again - no matter how much she insisted that her name was Alura, it went over his head like he'd called her Cindy for years - but went on nonetheless.

"It's fine. It wasn't important. Let's just go back to bed." She replied in a rushed tone, standing up quickly. She was halted as he grabbed her hand.

"Cinder..." His tone was full of concern.

"Look, it was nothing - it's fine." Her lies weren't good enough. But... How could she say it now? All that confidence was gone despite what Hazelnut had just proclaimed. Her courage to tell him had burned down like water to a campfire's flame.

"It's not nothing." He muttered, pulling her hand down, forcing her to sit again. "What were you going to say?"

"It..." She contemplated actually saying it. It diminished almost as fast as it had come. "It doesn't matter now." She could tell she was being completely obvious that it had been something to do with him - and she wasn't sure that if he kept asking, she could keep this barrier up. His hand found her chin and he perked it up, causing her to return her gaze to him. 

"It does matter and we both know it." Her heart leapt, remembering the last time he had done that. His comment almost caught her off guard.

"No. No it doesn't!" She tried to shove him away, but failed from having shorter arms. His brow furrowed, not from frustration, but curiosity. Looked like just another one of the things she was hiding and he would hopefully soon find out. 

And because of this hope of finding out sooner or later, he decided against asking any further. Instead, he would change the subject.

"We still doing the raid?" She looked away guiltily, before proceeding with,

"We have to do it tomorrow. We can't wait any longer."

*

"This is the stupidest idea we've ever had." Rhys finally said as Cinder docked the bike at the front of the valley. "Couldn't it wait?" He threw off the helmet.

"You could've said something earlier if you wanted it to wait. But we're here."

"Can't we just go back to the inn and claim we went for a stroll?"

"Not an option. If you really didn't want to do this, you should've said something."

"I was afraid this would happen."

"And you're more afraid of what might happen in the raid?"

"It's only the two of us. I'm pretty sure that we won't win this time."

"Shut up. We will win."

"Wow. The confidence really shines through with you doesn't it?"

"Fuck you. We don't have any other options... And we can't start doubting ourselves now. We will win. There's nothing else to it."

*

"We really bit off more than we can chew this time!" Rhys shouted across the battlefield, shooting two Psychos as they lunged at him.

"Yeah, I'm realising that now!" Cinder shouted back, dodging a grenade as it landed beside her, running for a shelter.

"Maybe you should have listened to me!" He replied, running into the camp as the Psychos came out to meet him.

"Just remember why we're doing this!" She countered, crouching behind a stack of scrap wood and metal, catching her breath. Battles cries were ringing out everywhere, waking up the entire valley. She was almost certain everyone in Epsilon Drive could hear it too. Taking a peek of the battlefield, she spied an opening and ran, shooting at the Psychos who ran for her. Landing a few slag hits, she shouted for Rhys to finish them off with his flame gun. 

That was another thing. There was fire everywhere. Charred corpses littered the ground where they ran. But the countless numbers were closing in and their shields were doing little to help them. After a short time of shooting and being shot in the arms many times, they were both cornered, back to back as they were circled. They never stopped shooting, even when the hits they were taking were beginning to get fatal.

"We can't just shoot forever! We don't have enough ammo! We have to do something else!"

"What do we do then?!"

"Siren something?!" 

"If it'll help, fine!"

"Well, you're gonna have to help me! Two sirens is better than one!"

"Augh fine!" Both of them searched for their respective sources of power, finding it all too difficult while they were being constantly attacked. Cinder tried to feel that strange energy different from the rest. Rhys searched for any electricity he could. Cinder found her's first, sending a barrage out into her side of the conflict, creating an empty space. In the time that she had, she spun around and did the exact same to Rhys's side. They weren't dead but they were close. "Finish them off with your gun! And keep trying!" He nodded and kept shooting. Cinder ran back where she had been, dropping her trench coat to make this easier. The air was now buzzing with that energy as it made itself evident to her, making it so much easier to create the arrows. 

"FUCK!!" Rhys screamed, throwing down his now useless gun. No ammo. Great. Now he couldn't do the thing he was supposed to. 

Then another thing occurred to him. He had a melee weapon. The stun baton. In a second he had whipped it from his vest and was charging back into the heart of the battle.

"Duck!" Cinder shouted in his direction, sending out an arrow. Doing as told, he missed the shot and watched as three Psychos went down in one go. Three birds with one stone.

"Nice!"

"It's called trying! Maybe you could do it sometime!"

"I have been!" He couldn't withdraw the power from something as mundane as his own cybernetics or the stun baton. Sure, plenty of volts, but he needed a current. A well, fast moving current. Nothing in this camp fit that. No high voltage, no high current, nothing for him to use. He only just managed to dodge as a Psycho swung an axe at his chest, plunging the stun baton into their abdomen.

After many more minutes of the continuous fighting, Rhys finally found a source. Another reason for Astrid to hate him, he withdrew the electricity from the Eridium Vault, collecting it until he had his own source of power. With that, he focused pn a large amount of the Psychos, targeted half of them and told Cinder to jump. Also obeying what she told him to do, she got herself off the ground as he stamped a foot into it, sending out a dangerous shockwave. The targets bore the brunt of it, the rest being shocked dangerously, incapacitating some for a brief amount of time. It had been almost instant, so when Cinder hit the ground again, she stood like nothing had happened.

And just when it was starting to look like they were going to win, a flurry emerged from the centre of the town itself, closing in on them with speed.

"For fuck sake! CAN'T WE GET A FUCKING BREAK!!" Cinder shouted when she saw the new wave. "This is how they killed the Crimson Raiders!"

"Yeah! And we need backup! We really can't do this on our own!"

"Call Hazelnut on her ECHO! She's always awake! And she'll round up everyone who still trusts us in secret! She got it out of them once, she can do it again! Run into that shelter and keep low so they don't notice you! I'll keep them distracted!"

"But you'll die out here alone!" He shocked another Psycho that ran at him with a grenade.

"I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING! JUST GO!!" In a split second, the token wings of a siren appeared on her back. She jumped up into the sky, Rhys running away to the shelter she had pointed out. All eyes were on her, making for an easy escape. He reached the shelter in seconds, crouching down and pressing a finger against his ear, activating the comm to Hazelnut.

"What?" Her voice came.

"Round up the raiders for the love of God and get them to Tumbleweed Valley! Now!"

"What? Rhys, what's going on?!"

"We'll explain when the battle is over, but we need you guys here!"

"Okay! I'm on it!" The call ended and Rhys took another chance to shock the Psychos while Cinder was still off the ground. He found his targets and slammed his fist into the ground, having the same effect as before.

"It's unnatural how many there are!" He called, running back into the chaos as Cinder landed.

"They must have a New-U station! They're just gonna keep digistructing back if we don't destroy it!" She replied, certain of her explanation, ducking as a mace swung for her head. She made another shot, landing another kill. "I'm gonna go destroy it!" 

"What?! Are you crazy?!"

"You tell me!" She didn't look back as she ran for the solitary heart of the camp. She ignored the loot chests except for when they would offer her shelter from the fire, a moment to think of what to do next. She spent minutes alone, searching and wondering if this was worth it. This place couldn't be as big as it was seeming, but she couldn't find anything but poorly built shacks and more Psychos trying to murder her.

She hoped to god that she would find the station, destroy it and return to find Rhys still alive. She knew hoping was a weak mans tool, but it was all she had. She hid behind yet another shelter, taking a few deep breaths to recollect, listening for anything strange... Only Psychos yelling about their meat bicycles and how much they wanted to strip her flesh. Nothing out of ordinary. She could also still hear Rhys making various panicked noises of distress, signalling he was still alive.

Good.

Peeking out from behind the shelter, she scoped what she could. A group just close to her and...

There it was.

Taking a chance, she took aim and sent an arrow strait through the New-U station, unaware of how it might even still be running when Hyperion had gone down the drain. It's light drained before it promptly exploded. She took it as a good sign and sent a barrage to the group ambling nearby, knowing now that she actually had a chance of making it out of this.

They could make it out of this. They could survive. They could keep fighting this war. They could win back everyone's trust. They could win.

She ran for the entrance of the camp, only just managing to dodge the many melee weapons that aimed for her head. Bullets weren't such a victory and by the time she was even close to the front of the camp, her arms were bleeding with several wounds and she had copped one to the hip as well. She was about to reach her destination when a shockwave rippled, causing a spark on her feet that sent her backwards. Goddamnit, Rhys.

She stood back up without another thought, shaking her head and adjusting her headband. She went to growl and make a run for it to finish this, but instead gasped as something caught her by the neck. The wind was knocked from her lungs as she was held against a wall, hanging aloft by the hand around her neck. Great. This was just what she needed.

Her first thought was to attack. A good fight instinct. Memories of something similar caused her to make a swift kick, her foot colliding with the knee of the colossal Psycho which held her. It made no reaction, only tightened its hand, now making her completely incapable of any breathing. Now she was panicking. Her hands shot up to her neck, trying harder than anything to make it let go of her. She tried to think of anything. Maybe the burning of her tattoos could be felt by another creature?

She tried her hand at it. She focused everything - literally everything - into the physical burning. She wanted to scream from her own pain. She pressed her forearm to the hand that was gripping her throat and got a decent reaction. It let out a disgruntled yowl, dropping her. She managed to take a deep breath, exhaling a sob from the pain she was bringing upon herself. She went to run, but her feet were swept from beneath her. She fell painfully, letting out a cry of panic as she landed on her forearm. Surely that was broken. Despite it, she tried to stand one more time, pain swelling all over. It wasn't normal to be tossed around so much, by so many. She continued to bite back her tears.

Then she was to the wall again. Hand around her throat again. No breath again. Head pounding again. Instincts running again. Her adrenaline rush, however, was finally beginning to fade. Her mind couldn't focus on anything. She gave into dangling on the wall, hopelessness washing over her. As if she knew what was to come next. She only started to fight when the gun was against her sternum. 

No. She couldn't let it do it. She wouldn't die today. She couldn't die today. She knew it was going to happen. But in a frazzled mind and a body growing weaker every second she was held from the ground, there was only one thing she could think to do. Call for help. And as soon as she got her chance, right as the hand began to loosen in the slightest way and she knew the trigger was being pulled, she screamed Rhys's name louder than she ever would.

Rhys heard her voice as soon as it came. He was in a bit of a position - a bit cornered and a bit trying everything he could to get rid of them. One thing ran through his mind. He found whatever he would need for the attack and sent a shockwave. He wasn't too bad at that at least. He silently apologised to Cinder if she was still on the ground. Now not as surrounded, he sprinted in the direction of her voice. She screamed again, but it wasn't his name this time.

It was Maria's. 

His heart swelled and he knew that she was in bad trouble. Real bad trouble. If she was asking for his help at all, she was probably fucked. But for her dead sister as well? Either he was delusional and hearing things or she was about to die. He hoped to god it wasn't the latter. He ran for the camp, entering and managing to see where Cinder was. He went to attack the psycho that had her...

Then the gunshot rang out. 

Cinder felt almost nothing. Her struggle ended. She felt breathless - even more so than before. Even the pain which should have left her writhing like every bullet that entered her was close to nonexistent. She only felt empty. Her heart slowed all too quickly. She didn't fight anymore. It was over. 

She collapsed.

Rhys's eyes grew wide, his heart almost stopping. No. No. This could not be happening. The Psycho roared with victorious laughter. His mind clouded with mute shock. He couldn't move. He couldn't call her name. Hell. He couldn't even breathe. This couldn't be happening. This could not be happening. His eyes were tricking him. Every sense in him was tricking him into a trap. Cinder wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead. Then his voice finally returned.

"CINDER!!" It was the most cracked, pained, heartbroken scream he had ever managed. This could not be happening. It couldn't be real. Cinder hadn't just fallen. She hadn't just been shot. The Psycho hadn't seen him. It wasn't about to do the same to him if he kept standing there, unmoving, unable to overcome the shock...

Before he could register what was going on, there was a loud snarl and suddenly something huge and dark in colour smacked into the Psycho, sending it hurtling backwards. Rhys blinked, watching as the largest Skag in existence mauled the murderer to death, leaving it nothing more than flash that had been ripped to shreds. It was Thomas. Only one Skag could be that size and do so much damage in only seconds. Rhys looked around himself. There were so many more of them. There were Skags everywhere.

One with a speckled flank - Cecil. One small yet feisty - Baguette. One with a scar across its snout - Harry. One with a foaming mouth - John. One covered in warts - Karen. Every single one he could remember and more came running, mauling the Psychos that were still trying to get him killed. He took his opportunity of the Skags being a distraction, clearing the distance to where Cinder was and falling to his knees by her side. He was crying.

He scooped her up, causing her to hiss in pain, then couch twice. Blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth, and she was going pale quickly. "No. No no no no no." Rhys repeated under his breath, clasping her weakening hand. She forced a smile, reaching up slowly and wiping away some of the many tears that were falling. With whatever strength she had left, she clutched his hand tighter. He watched as the once vibrant colour of her jasmine eyes retreated, becoming dull. 

"Oh, come on... Don't waste those tears on me..." She said with animated amusement. "We both know I'm not worth those." At those words, he lifted her up further, holding her against his chest, burying his face into her collarbone. Already he was seeking something - anything - that might heal her the way she did for him. If there was a way to return it to her, he was trying to find it. Cinder hung her useless arm around his neck, accepting the one final embrace. She let out a deep breath.

"Don't go." He sounded so pitiful. It was like he had forgotten a massacre was still taking place around him. His voice cracked with sorrow. It was proceeded by a chorus of sobbing. He sounded... He sounded heartbroken. And not just like after a breakup, kind of heartbroken.

The real kind of heartbroken.

"I'm sorry." Cinder used the apology on her final breath, letting it go and closing her dull eyes. Her world grew dim, then black. Then soundless. Nothing. Rhys felt his soul retreat from his body as Cinder's shivering stopped and she became motionless in his arms. No instinct told him to help. Revive. Flee. Or even cry.

He wanted to die.

After all, what was the point of going on? Astrid got what she wanted. Cinder was dead. The raiders were dead. He didn't have the one person he depended upon anymore. He didn't have someone to fight beside anymore. He was vulnerable now. He was missing a piece of this new life. She was dead.

The girl he loved was dead in his arms.

The crying instinct compiled and he spent a long time fitfully bawling, forgetting the raid itself - even when it had been the cause. Forgetting the Skags that were still valiantly fighting his battle for him. Forgetting that he wasn't alone. Eventually he set her down.

Despite it all, she did look quite peaceful in the face of death. But he wouldn't let it stay that way. He was either going to find a way to bring her back, or join her.

He knew Astrid would love getting her hands on both of their bounties.

Dead or alive, after all.

*

"You need to start training those things more!" Vaughn exclaimed from the ground, rubbing his back from the sharp impact.

"I have been! You just don't know how to ride a Skag properly!" Hazelnut retorted, kicking at the ground and sending a cloud of dust into his face. Harry had thrown him off. In fact, every Skag had thrown everyone off as soon as they got close to town... And they were still a good way away. Hazelnut had rebounded like it was nothing to get bucked off - even though it had been excruciating to her ribs. Most of the group were just sort of pouting and putting up with it - having it be a first and most likely last time experience. Guess who was making noise about it.

"Hazelnut. Why are we here? You didn't care to explain?" Pistachio asked, cutting into their quarrelling prematurely. "And why by Skagback of all things?"

"Some unfinished business I was asked to help clean up." She vaguely explained, turning to the entrance of the valley and adjusting her hat. They still had a long walk to the camp.

"What 'unfinished business' are those two up to now? In the middle of the night of all things?" Astrid asked with a roll of her eyes. She was bitter for Hazelnut's rushed reasoning to get them up. 

"Look, they just need help..." She was about to go on to what it was, but she hadn't been told why they left. Why they needed her help. Why she could hear gunfire over the line and still hear some now. She didn't explain further due to lack of being able to. Maybe it was the 'raid' they had spoken of the previous night? 

She sighed and gestured for them to follow her, closing her jacket and zipping it up from the sudden cold of the night. She lifted her gun from her holster, whipping off its safety and prepping a pistol ammo cartridge into place. Nobody complained further, merely meandered behind her. The gunfire ceased and somebody screamed, causing her gut to churn unsteadily. It seemed there was no more noise to proceed it, making the entrance of the valley eerily quiet.

A little too quiet for it to be passed off as meaningless.

A certain anxiety began to twist in her chest. Maybe the raid was over and it wouldn't be long before the two would pass the six on a motorcycle with faces smug as a Skag after killing a Vault Hunter, but a part of her knew that wasn't true. Maybe they had run for it. Maybe it was actually over... Maybe the Skags had something to do with it. All sorts of possibilities ran through her head. One in particular, she hated and stayed away from.

She was sure that wasn't the case. They weren't dead. Psychos were. But not them.

"Where are we even going?!" Somebody behind her yelled in question.

"Camp at the back of the valley! It's pretty far!" It wasn't, but if she was talking to who she thought she was, best piss them off while she was at it (and that goes for all of them except Pistachio). There was about three different groans behind her and she knew she had done a job well done. She smirked through the pain in her ribs. The valley wasn't so far anymore.

Suddenly, she was running. Something told her to. They had needed her and just that now the gunfires were over didn't mean they might not need her anymore. She and to get there. They might not need everyone else, but they asked for her and she would be there.

"Woah, wait up!" She heard Pistachio call, followed by everyone's footsteps growing faster and louder. She didn't wait up. Though it was painful, she made it to the entrance of the valley. There she found suspicion one. Cinder's motorbike docked by one of the stores. Suspicion two, all Skag prints leading to the back of the valley. Right where the camp would be. She took a moment to let everyone catch up, not that they were far behind anymore when she was clearly the slowest of the group.

"We're headed that way." Hazelnut said as she pointed at the end of the Skag prints. Right as she said that, the ground began to shake slightly. "And looks like the kids are home too." Correct in her statement, within a moment, the Skags that had booted her and the others off came in flurry through the town, nearly trampling them all as they ran. One Skag in particular stopped before Hazelnut, alongside Thomas of course. She knelt down to Cecil. "What is it boy?" She could feel everyone rolling their eyes at her, but she could tell this was serious. Cecil proceeded to perform many different moves and yipping tones. Her eyes widened. That was not good. Not good at all.

She took off sprinting, leaving everyone behind in the dust. She had to get to that camp. She heard them call to her as she ran, but through the pain in her side and what Cecil told her, nothing would stop her. When she reached the final alleyway to the camp, she wasted no more time. She could hear everyone perusing her, but she continued to ignore them. She couldn't let this be real. She needed to get there, help out... Make sure they are alive.

But what she saw was the opposite.

Cinder was dead and Rhys was by her side. Hazelnut froze to her spot from shock and sorrow simultaneously. She tried not to make a noise, but as everyone caught up to her, they made enough racket to draw Rhys's attention. He looked up at them with a face that spoke of pure sadness, but it quickly contorted into broken fury.

"Well! Look who decided to show up... And after its all too late!" His voice was shaking and his eyebrow twitching as he stood up. 

"I tried to round them up, I swear! I would've been quicker!" Hazelnut defended, quickly picking up the signs that he had been crying... And for what must have been a long time. She hid her own sorrow at the fact that Cinder was dead and the fact that he looked properly heartbroken. 

"I know you would've been quicker. But what was stopping you? Tell me Hazel. What was stopping you?" His voice was low, dangerous and full of cunning. Like someone who knew the answer already. Like a teacher who knew what you did wrong even when you denied it. Like a villain toying with his captured protagonist. Like a heartbroken man who knew every reason why nobody had come to his aid any earlier. 

"I- I- I... Astrid... She wouldn't.... She wouldn't come and.... I- I had to force her ou-out..." She stuttered, her mind overcome with panic. "Everyone e-else agreed without hesi..." Her throat kept choking on her words. "Hesi..." She tensed up as Rhys continued to approach them at a slow and obviously measured pace. "Hesitation." She took a breath, shrinking back into her jacket. "A-Astrid was being... D-difficult." She finished, heaving a breaking sigh.

"Ah. It was Astrid, was it?" He chuckled. "Fitting." He chuckled another time, wiping his face with his metal hand, ridding the tears that managed to fall despite the facade he was trying on. "I knew it. Of all the things that would happen, she would be stubborn. Know it had to do with us... And deny us in hopes we would reach our demise." His gaze was set on her, a feigned smile on his lips. He stopped walking, no more than ten feet separating himself and everyone else. "You almost made it too." His voice grew much quieter at the last statement.

"You deserve it." Astrid replied to him with a glare of murder.

"You didn't think that when you saw us for the first time. You thought it was bullshit that we were sirens. And now that it's true... You don't have anything better to do than wish us dead." His voice had raised volume again, and was shaking even more than before. She shook her head.

"Parasites." She hissed.

"Skags are parasites - no offence Hazel. Rakks are parasites."

"They're animals!"

"ACCORDING TO YOU, WE'RE ANIMALS TOO!" He started forward, closing the gap until he was right before them all. His voice cracked and his eyes began streaming, memories of her words in the caravan returning. Astrid had plenty more to say, but didn't mention it. She merely glared at Rhys, who was beginning to silently weep. "You got what you wanted at least... She's dead..."

"Mate, can't you do something about it?" Hazelnut asked, taking a risk and breaking the aggression. "Can't you heal her like she did for you?" She flinched as Rhys made a noise of utter disbelief. 

"You think I haven't already tried?! If there's a way to get her back, I've already done it and she's gone!" Hazelnut looked on the verge of tears herself - the yelling always got her the worst.

"But I'm sure there are more ways!"

"No, there aren't! Can't you just get it?! I CAN'T SAVE HER!" On his last words, he lashed out, slapping Hazelnut right across the face, leaving her more stunned than in pain. No apologetic feelings to be had for her, he chuckled, swiping a tear from his face. "I knew it. You are as stupid as I thought... So, so, innocently stupid..." Nobody said a word, toxic silence filling the air around them. It was like it was closing in on them, choking them... An air like something was going to happen soon... Or had already happened. 

He turned to Astrid. "So Astrid. It's clear you don't want to accept us as humans. It's clear that feeling the same way humans do, experiencing the same affairs humans do and even the willingness to forgive others as humans do is all a lie. Feigned lies for you to fall into so we can eventually kill you. As much of a lie that belief is, I won't stand in the way of your religion. I won't try to make you accept our attempts at redemption. I won't interfere anymore... It seems like it isn't worth it." He sighed, turning away from her and back to the camp, blankly walking back into it.

He found where Cinder lay, kneeling down beside her for a second time. Fresh tears in his eyes, he choked on his sobs of sorrow. "I'm not doing this without you. I can't anymore. Better be ready to burn in hell with me." He wasn't sure if the last thing she saw being him was a good thing or the worst thing she could have experienced. She seemed to care enough that wouldn't have been total hell for her. He knew she was with Maria now, but... It would be nice to meet her. He chuckled at his own thoughts, sitting back up and grabbing the abandoned stun baton that lay nearby. He returned to the still silent group of people by the entrance of the camp, smirking as he skilfully turned the baton in his fingers.

"What are you doing back here? Why can't you just die?" It was Astrid of course. Rhys made no reaction to her comment, not even a glance in her direction.

"I have a message for each of you. Sort of a way of departing." He sighed. "Pistachio. Take care of Hazel."

"I never didn't, you dumbfuck. What's going on?" He ignored her question and went on.

"Sasha. Treat him well. Your new boyfriend. He's lucky." She didn't respond. "Vaughn, bro. Replace me. You deserve better than me." Vaughn looked shocked by what he had said.

"What? Bro, what are you talking about?!"

"I was never trustworthy was I? The fact that you never knew is beyond me." He looked almost pitying. "Fiona. You take charge when we can't." She pulled a face. "Astrid... I hope you're happy." She snorted.

"In your dreams."

"And Hazel..." He hesitated, giving her a look of pain. She didn't need this. Not after everything she had done to help. He decided on the best words - a simple warning. "Cover your eyes." In clouded confusion, she did nothing, merely blinked a little longer to test if he would notice. But right as she opened her eyes again, she saw exactly what he didn't want her to. His hand clenched tighter around the he base of the stun baton, before, with a gritted teeth and a heavy heart, he thrust it into his neck. Everyone gasped at the same time from shock and terror. Though he managed to remove the stun baton again and drop it to the ground, it was clear that the damage had most definitely been done.

He coughed weakly, blood dripping from his gaping mouth - despite the bleeding hole in his neck. His breathing was laboured, measured and every single breath he took was counted - he only had a limited few left. Every desperate inward gulp of air caused blood to leak into his lungs. He deftly let a hand grasp over the hole,mass if it would staunch the blood flow. His face was pale and grey. 

As his last breaths were taken up, he glared over to Astrid, his dull eyes gazing on her one last time. Wasting whatever oxygen he had left, he muttered two words in a croaky voice. "It's over." He cast a final thought to Cinder and dropped to his knees. "I won." It was barely a whisper. A hand still his throat, he fell completely. The world grew dark. Then black. Then soundless. Nothing. For a long moment, there was total silence. Not even the crackling fires could be heard anymore. It was as silent as death.

Hazelnut dropped to her knees, tears freely flowing from her stinging eyes. She hunched over, ignoring the biting pain in her side. Who cared about what her ribs had to say about pain? Two of her friends were dead. God knows how much it would have hurt. One shot down, the other at his own hands.

"Why? You had a chance to save her..." 

"Hazelnut..." Pistachio muttered, kneeling on the ground beside her sister, attempting to hug her. Hazelnut only pulled away, continuing to sob into her hands.

"It's all your fault." Hazelnut finally muttered, wiping tears from her flushed face.

"What? I don't understand. I neve-"

"Not you." She stood up, her once sad disposition now contorted into a type of rage. She proceeded to point directly at Astrid. "You. This is all your fault." Astrid looked offended, falling back onto one foot.

"What? How is this my fault?!" She questioned.

"Because you're the one who led this charade! You're the one who scared us all into following you! You're the one who told them they were monsters and couldn't be trusted! If it wasn't for that, they wouldn't be trying to prove themselves to you! If it wasn't for you, the Epsilon Raiders would still be intact! If it wasn't for you, they wouldn't have gone on this raid! IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU, THEY WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!!" Everyone was taken aback by what Hazelnut had to say, but her aggression and set tone made it clear about how she felt.

"That's their fault if they took it that way! They didn't have to do anything!"

"All they fucking wanted was for us to trust them! For YOU to trust them! They were willing to do anything to get us all back together and not fighting with each other! None of this! Everyone here, except for me, alienated them into feeling like monsters and like they needed to be left in solitude!"

"And so they should have been! Their faces don't belong!"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK! YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU FUCKING SNOT NOSED BRAT!" Hazelnut launched forward, aiming to attack Astrid, fists bared. She only just missed a hit as both Pistachio and Vaughn grabbed her arms, holding her back. "LET ME AT HER! SHE BROKE MY FUCKING RIBS AND YOU ALL DID NOTHING TO RESTRAIN HER!! WHY ME NOW?!" She screeched, tears still running on her face, her voice cracking. And even despite this, her face was still ferocious. Her eyes like that of her Skags - wide, insane, red. Her tone like someone begging for this person to just kill them because it's not worth living in this life. Her body trembling as she continued to fight against her captors, to land at least one hit before she would even allow her fit of rage to come to an end. "SHE'S THE ONE PERSON WHO DESERVES IT THE MOST!! IF IT WAS UP TO ME, SHE'D BE DEAD TOO!! THEY DIDN'T DESERVE IT!! THEY WERE JUST PEOPLE LIKE US AND NOW THEY'RE GONE!! I HOPE YOU'RE FUCKING PROUD OF YOURSELF, ASTRID!! BECAUSE YOU CREATED TOO MANY RIVERS THAT WERE TO DEEP FOR THEM TO SWIM IN! AND YOU LET THEM DROWN!!" She spat, making words too real for them to take. A masterful use of her last name. As poisonous as nightshade. Astrid gasped, sweat falling down her brow. Pistachio and Vaughn were now struggling to keep her restrained as her fury burned like a never ending flamethrower. "YOU LET THEM DROWN!!" 

"Hazel, calm down! Please!" Pistachio urged in a voice that was strained. Astrid was now trembling. Not even she could deny what Hazelnut was saying. But she wouldn't admit it. She had to stand her ground.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CALM?! HOW CAN YOU ALL ACT SO CALM?! THEY'RE BOTH DEAD BECAUSE NONE OF YOU COULD BEAR TO SHOW THEM EVEN A LITTLE RESPECT!! THIS SIREN THING WAS NEVER THEIR CHOICE! THEY BOTH HATED IT! THEY DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE THINGS COMPLICATED, SO THEY HID IT! BUT, UH-OH, SECRETS GOT OUT AND IT WOUND UP WITH BOTH OF THEM DEAD!!" She sobbed twice, gasping at the pain in her side. "BOTH OF THEM ARE DEAD!! AND ITS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!" She collapsed to her knees again, arms still held tightly. Her energy was draining fast. But she managed another glare at Astrid, piercing as far as she needed to into her hollow soul. "BECAUSE OF YOU!!!!" She screeched one last time.

Overcome with the situation, Astrid's instincts found a quick fight or flight. There was no fight to be had and her mind ruled it out, causing her to want to flee. "YOU TURNED RIVERS INTO OCEANS AND YOU LET THEM DROWN!" Hearing her say that sentence again, Astrid gasped in a victim like way, looking around for an escape, falling into a defensive stance. She spotted the exit in no time, running towards it at top speed. "FINE!! RUN HOME AND CRY ABOUT IT!! YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK FROM NOW ON, CAUSE THERE'LL BE A BULLET IN THERE ONE DAY, YA HEAR ME!" Hazelnut screamed after her. "Ya hear me...." Pitiful sobs came up from her throat as her voice became raw from her screaming. "Please let go of me." She muttered, closing her eyes and focusing all her weight to the ground. They dropped her without a moments thought. 

"We should go and find her." Sasha said, pointing over her shoulder at the exit Astrid had just went through.

"You do that." Pistachio replied, looking down at Hazelnut soberly. 

"Fine then. C'mon fi." It was an excuse to get out of here and nothing more. She just wanted to be away from this trap of death and anger. Not waiting for Fiona to follow her, she began walking away, leaving it all behind.

"I'm just... Gonna go with them." Vaughn stated, leaving before Hazel could say anything back.

"Alright. See ya." Pistachio mustered, her tone low. On the ground, crying from anger, sorrow and pain, Hazelnut sat trembling, sobbing, gripping her head like she wanted to crush it, her breathing broken.

"You could've saved her. You didn't have to do that, mate. Warum hast du das getan? Du hattest deine Chance. Why didn't you take it when ya could?" Her voice was shaking violently. Pistachio sat down beside her.

"Come on. We should go and leave them to rest." Pistachio tried to say. She really wanted this all behind her. There was no coming from this easily. But she was going to have to be stronger for the both of them. 

"No. I don't want to go."

"Come on. We have to let it go eventually."

"Well, eventually isn't now!"

"I'm not going to fight about this. We have to go." Pistachio grabbed Hazelnut's wrists, hauling her to her feet. Her sister didn't meet her eyes. "Let's go. People are gonna have to hear about this. We have to tell them." She proceeded to pull Hazelnut along, who was still crying, dragging them both from the camp, into the alleyways and out into the town. Astrid, Sasha, Fiona and Vaughn were standing outside one of the buildings and it looked like Astrid had been cornered. Pistachio took to running over and punching Astrid fitfully in the face, taking a moment to yell, "THAT'S FOR BREAKING MY SISTERS RIBS, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!" Hazelnut ignored them completely, just wanting to find the Skags and get herself out of this place. After she was done assaulting Astrid and copping a kick to the shin, Pistachio stopped, spitting on the older girl and taking her sister's arm.

Hazelnut broke from Pistachio's grip, sprinting forward, drowning out the sounds of Pistachio calling her name as she ran for Thomas with her feet pounding on the ground. She wanted to be alone. Thomas could take her to alone. Upon sighting his hulking figure she shouted a command in a tongue written in symbols - one the author cannot write - which brought him to her. She threw one leg up in the signal and was helped to climb atop his back, shouting one final command before charging into the night. Charging out of the valley, past Epsilon Drive and into unknown territory where she was free to let everything out. But there was only a few words she could muster to say.

Why did you let them drown?


	18. Cracking the Codes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's trouble in the air, Danika can smell. And Cinder is... well, dead.
> 
> I'll let the author tell it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or Happy whatever you celebrate during the holidays (cause I ain't gonna judge). Here is my gift. The finally completed chapter 18.
> 
> This was admittedly doing to be a huge chapter, but after it was taking so long and was just... All over the place, I had to split the chapter into two. Now chapter 19 is going to the second half of this chapter.
> 
> Also, this chapter isn't really the best, it just sort of deals with a few of the after effects of what happened at the end of last chapter. Kind of a bit of feels, kind of clearing things up, kind of opening up the rest of the story. 
> 
> Sorry it took so long. Honestly, I'm kind of disgraced at the amount of time this took. Too freaking long. I'm honestly losing motivation to even continue this story. I just want to move on sometimes. And I honestly might... So I'm going to finish this story before I lose myself.

"Ummm... Danika?" Johnny's voice echoed after he spoke. His fist clenched. He couldn't be sure of what he was looking at. Only Danika would understand. After a moment or so, her head peered from her bedroom.

"What?" She asked, adjusting her goggles and dropped the violin bow she had just been messing with. Oh. Right. She was finally fixing it. She walked over to his side, clasping his hand in an almost routine manner.

"I think something's wrong with Alura." He pointed at the spider, who was now lying on her back, limbs splayed out by her sides. He'd been watching her for the past hour or so since Cinder and Rhys had left the inn and she had grown weaker and weaker. She had stopped tittering around like the purple ball of energy she usually was and had just sort of... Sat down.

Johnny could have sworn he could see her breathing at one point. 

Just a minute ago, she flopped onto her back, unable to stop stressing and weakening, giving in to whatever invisible force was weighing her down. He was concerned something was wrong with her. Even if Alura was a spider and was therefore terrifying, she was part of the staff now and just like he would never admit his concern for Cinder, he wouldn't admit to think that outright.

Danika's hand tightened in his and her brow furrowed. She leaned forward, down towards Alura.

"What's wrong girl?" She asked. Alura made almost no movement. Danika smirked. "She's just sleepin'. She'll be fine. Don' worry about her." She said, about to turn around and return to fixing the bow, but Johnny made sure to stop her.

"But what if she's dead?"

"She's not dead, ya daft. If you're concerned, ask Cinder 'bout it. Where is she anyway?" Her head whipped around, searching for her best friend.

"She left with Rhys about an hour ago. Said they were going to the valley."

"They not back yet?" Johnny made a noise in the back of his throat.

"No." Then Danika shrugged.

"They'll be fine. And so'll Lulu. They all tough as guts." 

*

Danika awoke to a routine alarm. She went about her morning like it was nothing. There wasn't anything wrong. She was just getting dressed for the day. The same day she always spent in the kitchen. Maybe she might ask Johnny for another date night, but only if she was feeling lucky at the end of the shift. And, as she had planned, she would find Cinder and ask her about what was going wrong with Alura. The spider was her pet after all. She would know the creature the best to make any accurate judgements.

When she checked her clock leaving the room, she saw she was ten minutes late. Sweet Jesus. That wasn't supposed to happen. She bolted from her room, through the break room, past all the rental rooms and into the dining area. God, Cinder wouldn't be happy about that. She was never happy when Danika was late to the job. No excuses.

"I'M HERE!!" She screeched upon opening the door. When she got no snarky reply from her co worker, she took a moment to actually assess the room. Same as always. Only five people were already seated at some of the tables and had been in deep discussion before she interrupted them. They all gave a strange look for a second, before all of them collectively turned to look guilty. Danika blinked at them once or twice. She was sure she'd seen these folks before.

One of them was the peculiar lady Cinder had pointed out that one night so long ago. The lady who came in with Rhys. Around her were others, Cinder's allies perhaps. She took another moment to look them over, before confirming it true. Though she was concerned at a certain lack of people. Namely the other nut sister and Cinder and Rhys. "Sorry." She uttered, giving them an apologetic look. They didn't have much of a reaction. One of them opened their mouth to speak, but she glided past them to the kitchen door, asking a question. "Hey. You guys know Cinder right?" Their silence suddenly seemed really out of place. Her spine crawled, but she didn't understand why.

"Yeah. We know her, Dcera." Danika was briefly taken about by hearing her middle name, but remembered giving it to the red haired girl who had spoken.

"It's just Danika, thanks." She was going to continue with her questions, but was cut off as one of the girls - the one wearing orange and had her hair in short dreads - talked down on the redhead.

"What did we say about talking to Cinder's friends?!" She hissed, causing the red haired girl to heave an obviously agitated sigh and turn away to stare at the wall.

"Any idea where she might be? She left with her boyfriend last night. I dunno if she came back. Know if she did?" She could feel them all cringing and didn't need to see to know the looks they were all giving each other. Pity. The redhead had no reaction.

"They weren't dating you know?" The one with blonde hair and the fedora. The nut sister that was here. The... Mercenary one. Not the Skag one.

"Alright. They aren't dating. I know. It's just a fantasy... But, do ya know or not?" They all gave each other the same look again, before shaking their heads.

"Sorry. We haven't heard from her." Something went off in Danika's mind. That couldn't be right. She was dumb, but she knew that these suckers knew where Cinder was. Maybe they knew she had returned. Maybe they knew Cinder was still in Tumbleweed. Maybe they knew Cinder was running away and never coming back.

Maybe they were just protecting her.

"Looks like you ain't gettin' fed til I find her then." She stated with a shrug.

Then she was on a mission. She was going to find out where Cinder was. The raiders were sitting in the dining area, looking as if they had just walked out of a slaughterhouse and wanted to take it back. But the set was incomplete. It was lacking three features. The Stetson, the legs and the leader. Where could they be? She checked the break room. Nothing but Johnny sneaking a morning beer and Alura still lying on her back. Only now, her legs were curled. She went into Cinder's room. The bed was empty and left only half done. She breezed to the top level, checked the balcony and even checked the roof. She wasn't in any of these places.

Last chance. She checked the front desk. Maybe she was just having a really early day. But the desk was unoccupied and it was organised like she left it every single night. She gave an animated sigh, wondering were to go next. Tumbleweed Valley seemed like her best bet. With speed and the grace of a Skag after drinking from the water trough, she went back to the break room. "Im going for a trip. Open up for me."

"What? Where are you going?" 

"Tumbleweed. Looking for Cinder and her man."

"Alright. You know, they aren't involved."

"Oh, come one. They weren't just sleeping in that room of theirs. If there wasn't some sorta intimacy going, I'll be damned."

"Looks like you'll be damned."

"I'm already going to hell. This ain't news." She turned and was marching back down the hallway... When her stomach growled.

Loudly.

Having perfectly placed priorities, Danika stopped marching and went back into the dining area. No time for a real deal, but something for the road at least. Only, right as she reached the door to the dining area, a young girl with glasses and a... A Stetson... Passed her and went into the room. Her eyes were puffy like she'd been crying. It was the other nut sister. The Skag one! Danika followed her in, watching as she took a seat with the other five and pulled her hat down when her sister tried to talk to her.

"Okay. Last chance. Do ya know where she is?" Nobody even turned to look at her. They were all focusing on anywhere that wasn't her. Eventually the Skag one looked up at Danika and said,

"We know." Danika's heart pulsed hard in her chest as she gasped with excitement. She would at least know where her friend was now. Mission accomplished.

"Where is she?" Suddenly everyone's eyes were on that girl. The man spoke to her first with warning and bitterness in his voice.

"Don't you dare, Hazelnut." Oh. This was Hazelnut. Right. Her name was Hazelnut. The mercenary one was Pistachio then. But this wasn't the only warning shot at her.

"What did we tell you?"

"You promised you wouldn't say anything."

"Come on sis, don't do anything rational."

"If I'm not allowed to say anything, than you shouldn't either. We agreed on that."

"Well, I'm gonna dare. I remember what you guys told me, very clearly in fact!" She stood up, voice raised in anger. "I never promised anything! And I'm the queen of doing rational shit! AND, I have freedom of speech, unlike what you get after you went and did what you did, Astrid!" She turned to Danika after yelling. Her voice dropped. "Danika, I'm sorry. I tried to help, but it was too late." Pistachio smacked a hand over Hazelnut's mouth to silence her, but she took the hand away. "Cinder is dead!" She finally screamed. Danika's heart dropped, but she couldn't tell if the teenager before her was telling the truth or not.

"WE WEREN'T GOING TO SAY ANYTHING YOU LITTLE SHIT!!" Astrid shrieked, standing up and slapping Hazelnut, who took the hit without complaint, bore merely furrowed at the action.

"She was going to find out anyway! Why deprive her of the truth when she's going to find it someday? It was going to be painful when she found out. She might as well be told by people who have a scrap of humanity left." She felt the urge to continue and say things like 'people like me' and 'as if any of you can say you have that left in you' and 'like the people who couldn't save her could have'.

The reality of it all began to settle into Danika's chest. Everyone was now bickering back and forth, but none of them seemed to take a side except their own. She broke the bickering with another question.

"What about Rhys?"

"Oh well since we're just telling you everything now, HE'S DEAD TOO!" Astrid shouted, sending off even more fighting. Danika didn't feel her knees hit the floor. 

This couldn't be happening. Cinder couldn't be dead. This was just a nightmare.

A nightmare she could wake from in any moment.

That's right. In any second she would wake up next to Johnny, both late from their alarms. She would go into the break room and find Alura skittering around and dusting things off like she always did. She would rush into the dining area and find Cinder and Rhys chatting away and blushing and being so damn in love she wouldn't be able to contain herself. She would apologise for being so late and then be told that it was okay, even if it wasn't. It would be like any day.

She even pinched herself to wake up...

...

All it did was sting.

She was awake and this was real. Tears began to patter onto the floorboards of the dining room. Cinder was dead. Her best friend was dead. She let out a yell of pain, hugging her arms close to her chest.

She started bawling and didn't care if anyone was watching or if it ruined her mascara or... Or anything. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Cinder was gone. She had no idea what she was to do after this. Cinder was dead... Cinder was dead...

Cinder was dead.

**

Her eyes peeled open, a grunt escaping her lips as she was met with the harsh sun high in the sky. Wonderful placement. The sound of flames and people talking and walking filled her ears, but she made no move to get up. Every part of her ached, especially her chest. It stung like fire. She groaned, lifting her numb hand over her head to block out the sunlight as well as possible. She thought of where she could be. The last she remembered, she was in a bandit camp... Fighting Psychos... Trying to disable a New-U Station...

She sat up very suddenly, a few new memories hitting her. She now remembered being pinned against a wall by her throat. That was where the line blurred and she fainted. That didn't explain the sting in her sternum... Why did she remember Rhys crying? Of the few things that happened from being dropped from the wall and finally blacking out, she remembered this the most. Which made no sense. She knew he was a bit of a cry baby, but... Over her blacking out? She was now very confused.

She stood up, discovering that her trench coat was still lying somewhere in the camp, instead of on her. Where it should be. She groaned and began walking. Her entire body ached for no reason. Her holster was light on her hip with a lack of a weapon to occupy it. Everything around her seemed odd. The amount of dead Skags was one of these things. She hadn't remembered Skags being part of the raid... And if she wasn't mistaken, these were of Hazelnut's army. She was sure she had seen that twisted horn on... Was it Jefferson? Or Fredrick? It was one of them, she knew that much.

She reached the entrance of the camp, legs screaming in protest at movement and pressure being applied to them at all. God, everything hurt so bad. She scoped the area. There wasn't much around except someone sitting amongst the corpses, a brown lump of fabric and a dormant stun baton coated in way too much blood to be realistic. She recognised the fabric of to be that of her trench coat, grabbed it without hesitation and then realised who was sitting there staring at space. It was Rhys. How she didn't recognise him earlier was a mystery she threw aside like Astrid threw aside her respect of them after they returned to the caravan. Without much thought she walked over and sat beside him.

"What are we looking at?" She asked absentmindedly, not expecting the reaction she received. Rhys stumbled back in surprise, making about seven seperate noises at the same time, eyes wide with several emotions at once. He stumbled to his feet, staring at her the whole way. Then he pointed at her and yelled,

"BUT YOU'RE DEAD?!" Cinder blinked a few times, not understanding what he was trying to say. Dead? No. She wasn't dead, clearly. And she had never died. What was he on about?

"What are you talking about?" She stood up, groaning from the pain. "Clearly I'm not dead." She noticed a strange scar across his neck, but ignored it. It was probably better for her to just deal with the situation now and ask questions later. He shook his head, like a dog shaking off some decoration an amused owner just clipped to its ear. He stopped and gave a disbelieving expression.

"NO! I WATCHED YOU! I WAS THERE!" He gripped at his temples. There was a crazed and ultimately confused look in his brown and yellow eyes. "I HELD YOU UNTIL YOU DIED!" He was making less and less sense. Cinder raised an eyebrow and gripped at her trench coat with whitening knuckles.

"Rhys, seriously. What are you talking about? I... I didn't die." She was beginning to feel uneasy. Maybe he wasn't just being dramatic... Suddenly the pieces were falling back into place.

The sting in her chest. His crying. The fact she only remembered fainting.

He too had only remembered fainting when it had been him.

She had died.

That was one way to come back to reality. "Alright fine. So I died..." Then she asked exactly what he asked the last time this had come to pass. "What happened?"

*

"So, you stabbed yourself with the baton?" She asked picking it up with a grimace. Though her back was turned to him, he nodded. "Why?"

"I was proving a point." He replied matter of factly.

"You killed yourself... To prove a point?" 

"Okay, I'd rather die than deal with them alone. Besides, I don't expect everything was okay afterward. I hope Astrid got what she deserved."

"I hope they shot her, personally."

"Agreed." Cinder turned around and passed the baton to him.

"Here." She muttered, looking back around the camp, shifting her trench coat in her hands. "But, what did everyone else say? When they saw me?" Rhys shrugged.

"They didn't say much at all, really. Astrid had her bit, I was emotional, Hazelnut said something or other. Everyone was just... Silent. I think it hit pretty hard." There was a pause.

"How long has it been?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How long have we been dead? And... How are we alive again?"

"I was thinking about that for hours before you came back. Don't think about it. It... It isn't logical, and it isn't possible... But it is?"

"God, you're helpful. You know that, right?"

"That was said in some circles while I was in Hyperion, yes." He made an action as if he was adjusting a tie that thankfully no longer existed. Cinder rolled her eyes.

"Your corporate nerd is showing, Rhys." She stated with slight disgust. It had been a long time since she'd seen him in that vest and tie, Hyperion cybernetics and blue ECHO-eye. It was rather unappealing to think about after all this time. She hastily pushed it from her mind. "But... Seriously, how did we come back? You didn't heal me, and I certainly didn't heal you this time, so..."

"Like I said, just don't think about it. It... You know, it doesn't make any sense, but why question it? We're back here, hopefully to stay." 

"Why hopefully?"

"Well, dying has proved to be not all that fun. I would know, because I've done it twice now."

"Okay, I get it. But isn't this world just as bad?"

"Not if we don't have to deal with Astrid." They stopped talking, but unlike other times before, it didn't last long at all.

"What do we do now?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, everyone is gonna flip shit if they see us alive. We're, well, supposed to be dead. What are we supposed to do?" A few confused blinks. "We can't go back to the Inn. We can't return to the raiders - God knows what they're going to say or do... We have to start over, you know... There's no way we can go back to our old lives." She scratched her filthy temple. "So what are we gonna do?" Rhys made a temporarily thoughtful expression.

"We could become Vault Hunters." He stated, sounding a little shy about it, as if unsure.

"Aren't you already a Vault Hunter?" Confusion crossed his face. "The Vault of the Traveller?"

"Oh! Right. Yeah. That. I... I am... A Vault Hunter then."

"How do you just forget about that? It's because of that that you got an AI stuck in your head, crashed a space station and became the CEO of a dead corporation."

"Guess I've gotta drop the CEO thing too."

"Sure... So we become professional Vault Hunters. That's your solution?"

"I mean, yeah. It's about all of a chance we've got. Under another alias, of course."

"Vault Hunters are still some of the most wanted people on Pandora. You want to be Rhys, wanted for being a siren with a bounty of up to billions, and some other name, wanted for being a Vault Hunter, which includes thievery, murder, trespassing, witchcraft and 'siren' in another bounty worth billions, at the same time?"

"When is a plan of mine ever going to work out? It's worth a shot."

"... Well, it's not like we have three minutes to work this out. Technically, we have all the time in the world to work out a plan... Anything else to offer?" A pause.

"Bounty Hunters?"

"Yeah. Like I'm returning to that business. My pals out in that field will recognise me before we even see them. And I'm pretty sure they'll be tempted by my bounty before they even think about ruining a business relationship."

"Well..." He was cut off as they heard voices and footsteps. If it had been from the streets of the valley, they would have thought nothing of it... But someone had just entered the alleyway to the camp... Someone was coming... Multiple people, in fact.

"Fuck, we better hide!" Cinder hissed, jumping up and running toward the shelter of a decomposing shack nearby, pulling Rhys with her. They ducked down, making sure they were completely out of sight, mutually hinting at each other that they desperately needed to be silent. There could be no slipping up here. They could both hear those voices growing louder, likewise the footsteps. They could also recognise the voices now - being so much closer. It sounded like... Hazelnut.... Pistachio... Vaughn...

And Astrid.

**

"Why did we even need to come? I'm sure body removal isn't a four man job." Pistachio asked as they cut into the alleyway that would lead to the backstreet camp.

"We're all short and they were both tall. Plus, we need to retain a certain level of subtlety to get them out of here." Astrid remarked, stepping over a Skag corpse.

"They're dead bodies. Not really a rare sight around here. Why do we have to be subtle?" Vaughn asked. It was a good question, which had even Hazelnut nodding the question along.

"Because... It's... Just because, okay?!" Was all Astrid could say in reply. This really wasn't something she could explain without them despising her even more than they all already did. It seemed causing the deaths of two fellow warriors had left her the villain. These three were only even here because she said had drunked them up when they came into the bar a little while earlier. They were beginning to sober up now, which was surprising and slightly alarming now that they were asking questions that she needed to answer.

They reached the entrance to the camp and realised something was off right away.

"Where'd he go?" Hazelnut was the first to ask. "We literally saw him drop here."

"He's... Gone..." Pistachio clarified in a mystified voice, nudging her hat. 

"Which Skag was it then?" Vaughn then asked, immediately turning to Hazelnut, who slumped over in a groan. "I know your army would do anything for a meal. It had to be one of them."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe - just maybe - not every weird going on is my fault? That maybe, just because I raise Skags, not all of them are merciless?"

"Last time I checked, neve-" he was cut off.

"IT WASN'T ANY OF MY SKAGS!" She suddenly snapped, lurching forward in a way she might start attacking him, but caught herself before she could even take the step. He flinched at the movement from fear of the strike that would normally follow. She looked somewhat guilty and backed away. Both Astrid and Pistachio gave her the strangest of looks. "Sorry." Her voice was low.

"I was only joking."

"Sure... I'll have to check with my patrol Skags if anything went on here after we left." 

"Check now. We're only gonna waste time if we search and then find out Gerard and Ronaldo had themselves a snack on patrol." Astrid said bitterly, cracking her knuckles out of instinct.

"I don't even have any Skags named Gerard or Ronaldo. Besides, calling them all the way out here from Base Camp is just a dumb idea. That's too far a run. We'll be long done here before they arrive."

"Just do what you have to to find out!" Astrid then yelled, a nerve beneath her eye twitching. Hazelnut was taken aback momentarily, frowning.

"What is the urgency here?! We're disposing of dead bodies! Do you really want them gone that badly?!" Hazelnut retorted, her voice cracking with shrillness. 

"JUST USE THE FAST TRAVEL!!" Astrid didn't answer Hazelnut's questions, instead just yelled the first thing that came to mind to change the subject. Hazelnut looked about ready to pummel the girl to the ground and strangle her to death, but instead took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She exhaled, opened her eyes and muttered,

"Okay." She whipped her hat off and placed it back on in a flourish of movement before storming off. Pistachio was the next to speak.

"What the hell WAS THAT?!" She yelled, her face darker with rage than anyone had ever seen it. "Stop antagonising Hazel! She's trying, unlike you are! All you are is cynical and hateful and a..." Pistachio was trying her hardest not to call her a waste of space, time and ammunition. "A right bitch." 

"Never heard that insult before." Astrid replied with a roll of her eyes. She started to walk into the camp to find where Cinder would be. One siren would have to do. But she stopped when Vaughn spoke up again.

"She's right, you know."

"What?" She turned around, only to find that he looked serious. He wasn't joking.

"Well, you're kinda acting like this is Hazel's fault! You keep pretending that it's not your fault anything happened to them, when it clearly is. You keep brushing off her questions. I mean, I'll put the blame for most things on her because," he paused to chuckle, "it's like a joke for us at this point! But you just keep... Even with Danika, when we told her... You kinda threw Hazelnut under the bus... And you keep doing it."

"Who are you and what have you done with Vaughn? Because he would never defend my sister." Pistachio said after the long pause that followed.

"But you agree with me, right? It's bullshit!" Vaughn yelled, turning to her. Pistachio took a step back, estranged. This was... Turning in her a little bit here. She glanced at the ground, grinding her teeth while trying to think of what to say in reply. 

"I... Well, yeah! I brought it up first! You keep pinning the blame on Hazelnut when every nutmeg is your own damn fault!"

"SHUT UP!!" Astrid suddenly yelled. "JUST SHUT UP!!" She stamped her foot on the ground like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU GUYS JUST-" Just then, Hazelnut rounded the corner into the camp. And she had brought a friend. A colossal, armoured, Skag friend. Astrid regained her composure 

"I spoke to all of my Skags and none of them even reported anything weird. Those two were still here last night. All of them knew to avoid them, or they just don't like the taste. Sirens taste different to humans apparently. I wouldn't doubt it." She sounded like she had been talking to herself and when she finished, looked up. "What'd I miss?"

"Did you actually do that or did you just take a few more shots with Josh at the bar?" Pistachio asked, albeit concerned, though it was masked with the slightest aggression.

"It was only one shot. Look, I ain't making this up. I couldn't if I wanted to. I checked with all the patrols in the last week. I checked with all of the fighters. Even with Tom here. Nothing has happened in this camp since the raid." Astrid perked up, then her face fell.

"So... What the hell happened to them? There's not as much as a skeleton. Bodies don't decompose that fast, right?"

"It's been three days. That won't have done anything. They would still be here."

"What if some looter came through here and took my chance?" Astrid cringed, the words having slipped before she could filter them out. She felt the harsh pain of three pairs of eyes drilling into her. Cringing, she wanted nothing more than to die right then and there.

"What?" Pistachio asked with narrowed eyes, a sharp edge in her voice.

"Your chance?" Vaughn continued, following her actions without thinking. Hazelnut crossed her arms.

"Oh, you have got explaining to do now, mate." Astrid could feel the sweat falling down her brow. The three closed in on her, approaching with measured and dangerous steps. "Well come on!"

"I didn't mean anything! I meant my chance to be the body disposal person for once!" Blatant fucking lie, that was. They could all see through it. You didn't need Cinder to know that was a lie.

"Tell us the truth, Astrid." Vaughn said in a way that can only be described as venomous. Astrid could feel her stomach knotting. This wasn't good.

"I-it's dead or alive, right?" She stuttered, beginning to shake under the pressure. "Even though they're dead and can't do anything, the law still wants them, right? I was going to..." Maybe she could avoid this. But those stares were harsher than she would have liked. They were all drawing closer, surrounding her like hungry raptors. She was cracking. She had to force the words up her throat, sweat dripping down her single exposed temple. "Collect the bounty."

*

They had abandoned Astrid and were now wandering what can only be described as the ghetto part of Tumbleweed Valley - as if the entire town wasn't a ghetto already. They had all left in disgust at her motivations. Now that Cinder and Rhys were gone, they had no reason at all to follow Astrid and her bullshit. It wasn't worth it anymore. Now, as they walked, hands trained to their guns by instinct in a place like this, where psychos would probably jump out of nowhere screaming vengeance on their lost brethren, they discussed their theories.

Well, Hazelnut discussed what she thought while Pistachio and Vaughn politely listened.

"Look, sirens have been a subject of mystery and study and experiment for YEARS. Scientists will pay literally anything to get their hands on one, to solve the mysteries they want their cryptic answers to. It would be far more than any Pandoran bounty can offer, I assure you. And for a male siren? They would be tripping over themselves with life debts!" She paused to accidentally trip on a rock. "Based on what Astrid said, she's basically just after the money. But with all the mistreatment, I wouldn't doubt that she has no concern for the fact that passing over their corpses to a laboratory instead of corrupting authorities isn't a good thing. Because there's one thing those scientists and the wanted posters have in common. They're wanted dead or alive." She made a random gesture to Thomas. "And I can bet you Tom's hide that she'd do whatever it takes to get the richer result." She gave a wistful sigh. "That's what I think anyway." 

Nobody spoke for a few more minutes of walking. They passed a group of unsuspecting amateur Vault Hunters.

"You really think so?" Vaughn asked, eyebrow raised. He hated to admit it, but it sounded logical.

"Well, yeah. I think it's pretty obvious by what she said." Hazelnut replied bluntly, adjusting her glasses and picking at a wire on her braces.

"Do you think she found them?" Pistachio asked as as they passed someone slumped over and sitting in their own sick. A wonderful sight to be sure. They were used to it.

"Those two were gone... Somehow. Nah. I don't think she would've." Hazelnut continued, now fiddling with something on her hat.

"Well, I hope she didn't. She's... She's a bitch and she doesn't deserve it." Vaughn thought aloud, startling the girls to the point they literally stopped walking. He didn't notice for a moment, but when he did, turned back to them with a, "What?"

"Sorry, I just forgot you know how to curse." He groaned at her comment.

"I didn't forget." Hazelnut stated in a bitchy white girl voice, fiddling with the trigger of her gun.

They walked on.

The silence besides the sounds of their aching feet against the sand brought them no comfort at all. There was something all so wrong and they all got a weird feeling. Something was wrong and they knew it. But there wasn't anything to say. It was too difficult to describe. 

They just felt uneasy, like a suspicion was crawling up their backs.

Maybe it was Astrid acting so shady. Had she really planned all of this? How much of a traitor was she really? Maybe it was still the unnerving sense they got from the memory of that damned night they saw their siren friends die. Was it all really worth it? Did he really have to go and off himself as well? What if he had stayed alive and lived on without her? Maybe it was knowing that the raiders were dead and that now, Pandora was utterly doomed to fall to that big revolution. How much of an impact had they even made? What were the chances the raiders could be redone? Could they forgive Astrid enough to let it all carry on, with maybe someone to replace their former warriors? Why did the raiders have to fall quicker than it had started? Was it worth it?

Maybe it was all of that put together at once. They didn't really know. 

By now, the trio had exited the ghettos and were on the main roads, a few familiar shops and buildings coming into sight. They all silently agreed to going back to a bar, but not the Eridium Vault. Anything but that. The only other place being Fever House, they stopped in. After they had thrown back a couple of shots each, everything seemed ten times more silent, though the men on the dance floor must've been whooping and yelling louder than Psychos during a raid. One of them had a clearly broken nose, a chipped tooth and vibrant orange eyes like a hunter.

Hazelnut was only saddened to think that this was the sicko that Rhys had punched all of maybe a week ago. She was the only one to have heard the story to know the description. And even when she was struggling on a high, it was unmistaken. She felt punching him herself, but left it. Like previously stated, it was just depressing to think of what happened a week ago. 

God, had it only been that long?

"Anything for the... Skag?" The bartender interrupted her thoughts, ruffling his white hair. She shook her head.

"Nah. Drivers gotta be sober." She whacked the hand reaching for her hat. "Give it up. You're not getting it."

"Excuse me, but I haven't tried for a long time."

"But you've never given up on trying, have you?" Silence followed.

It remained unbroken for as long as another round.

"Why is this happening to us?" Hazelnut abruptly asked, breaking the silence. Pistachio and Vaughn turned their attention back to her, pulling the same delusional yet mildly interested face. "You gotta admit, all of this shit is... Well placed. Something big is going on and... I just can't put my finger on it, but I think it's gotta do with the grander scheme of things."

"Cut it out with the philosophy and start making sense?" Pistachio asked.

"I know it sounds rash and far fetched, but... I don't think this is an everyday tragedy."

"What are you saying?" Vaughn continued in questioning.

"We're seeing their deaths on a personal level. It's a big deal to us of course, but... What I'm saying is, I don't think it's only affecting us. Their deaths weren't just a glitch in the Matrix of our simulated lives. It wasn't just a miscommunication on the part of a failing narrator trying to write our stories. This has gotta be some written in the stars kinda shit. What happened in that camp three days ago was a point set in time. It's going to affect the timeline we call home. What happened in that camp three days ago is going to change the history that hasn't yet been written yet... And that history is dependant on us."

"What drugs are you on? Are you really having an existential crisis right now?"

"I'm serious! Something is coming from all of this!" There was a determined shimmer in the swirling hazel, green and blue of her irises.

"I don't think unwritten history is going to rely on their deaths." Pistachio admitted, sounding guilty.

"No. History's got its eyes on us. All eight of us. Both of you and me and Astrid and Fiona and Sasha and... Even Rhys and Cinder."

"Yep. You're having a fever dream, sis."

"Just you guys wait..." Hazelnut could practically hear the drumming in her head. She promised herself that as soon as she returned home, she would open that decoder and get to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My editing may not have been perfect with this one, so if there's typos, I'm sorry. I'm not doing too good with the editing stuff lately, considering my choice to split the chapter only happened a few days ago. Anyway, hope it wasn't too sub par, considering what it follows directly.
> 
> (31.05.18) God guys, I can't do this story anymore. I haven't updated in so long and I've barely even thought about it. Honestly, one day I might return to this story, but I just can't do it anymore. Honestly, looking at some of the plot holes and terrible writing, I don't know why I published this. I'm starting to hate it. I'm gonna work fully on Its Always Sunny and maybe when I get back into Borderlands, I'll properly finish this story. It's the least I can do, but I just can't do this anymore.


	19. Epsilon Epilogue?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I may be sick of this story, but man, what it was leading into was gonna be so fucking cool. I'll leave the ending to you to translate. Part 2 coming in the next few decades, friends. Maybe it will be better than this.

Imagine that.

The sirens, both believed dead, were back. Unknown to so many others, life had returned to them. Such a shame they could never find out that.

Only time would let onto that as fact. 

Now imagine this.

The sirens leave. Escape to a different part of the many vast reaches of the Pandoran plains. Reinvent themselves and give themselves a new name to live under. No longer the Rhys and Cinder that were the sirens, but something else altogether.

The con artists go home and never speak of their comrades, fallen, betrayed or well acquainted. 

The sisters go to their base and train their misfit army of Skags for something. Whatever that thing is, they don't know for certain. Maybe the war they couldn't win. Maybe just a few fights with some locals. They didn't care anyway. 

The Bandit King went back to a wreckage. A wreckage of a space station and a corporation. He never turned as much as a thought to the people he once knew.

And Astrid? She did as she deserved - revelled in the guilt of what she had done. Forced two people who had never done anything wrong to the team to their deaths. She never left that little old bar. She stayed with good ol' Josh.

And the other people you may have forgotten?

Astrum and Bob stayed in their Rustic Parthenon, constantly thinking about those girls who found them in the desert and the gang they were with. 

The orange eyed man stayed in his bar, cradling his broken nose and cursing the name of that cyborg man.

The bartenders of Fever House didn't change. Never had a fight affected them. Never would it.

The classmates all went to their own lives. A few of them died right after graduation. Genise died that same night. 

Danika and Johnny shut down the Epsilon Inn and lived quietly in the ghost that once was buzzing and full of the chatter travellers. 

But let's face it. That isn't the ending, is it? There's too much left answered, right?

.. - / .. ... / --- -. .-.. -.-- / .--- ..- ... - / -... . --. .. -. -. .. -. --. --..-- / -.. . .- .-. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. .-. . -. / --- ..-. / - .... . / ...- .- ..- .-.. - .-.-.- / - .... . / .-. .- .. -.. . .-. ... / .- .-. . / -. --- - / --- ...- . .-. .-.-.- / - .... . -.-- / .- .-. . / -. --- - / -.. . .- -.. .-.-.- / - .... . -.-- / .- .-. . / -. --- - / -.. . .- -.. .-.-.-

...- .. ... .. - / .--. .-. --- -- . - .... .. .- .-.-.- / -.. --- / -. --- - / --- .--. . -. / - .... . / ...- .- ..- .-.. - ... .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / -. --- - / --- -. / .--. .- -. -.. --- .-. .- / .- -. -.-- -- --- .-. . .-.-.- / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. .-. . -. / --- ..-. / - .... . / .-.. ..- -. .- .-. / ...- .- ..- .-.. - .-.-.- / .-- .- .-. / .. ... / -.-. --- -- .. -. --. .-.-.- / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / --- ..-. / - .... . / ..-. --- .-. . ... - .-.-.- / -.-. .. -. -.. . .-. / - .... . / .-.. . .- -.. . .-. .-.-.- / .-. .... -.-- ... / - .... . / ... .. .-. . -. .-.-.- / ..-. .. --- -. .- / - .... . / .- .-. - .. ... - .-.-.- / ... .- ... .... .- / - .... . / .- ... ... .- ... ... .. -. .-.-.- / ...- .- ..- --. .... -. / - .... . / -.- .. -. --. .-.-.- / .- ... - .-. .. -.. / - .... . / ... ..- -... .--- . -.-. - .-.-.- / .--. .. ... - .- -.-. .... .. --- / - .... . / -- . .-. -.-. . -. .- .-. -.-- .-.-.- / .... .- --.. . .-.. -. ..- - / - .... . / - .-. .- .. -. . .-. .-.-.-

\-- .. ... ... .. --- -. / ..-. .- .. .-.. . -.. .-.-.-

\- .... . / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. .-. . -. / .- .-. . / .- .-.. .. ...- .


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